Taylor Hall. (Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)
Former Hart Trophy winner and five-time NHL All-Star, Taylor Hall, is set to undergo surgery on his right knee, ruling him out for the remainder of the season, as announced by the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
Incident Details
Coach Luke Richardson disclosed that Hall is set to have ACL surgery and expressed Hall’s disappointment over the situation. He said, “He’s very disappointed. But it just came from [an] accumulation of a bunch of little injuries in the game and even in practice the other day. It just became unstable that we have to fix that now.”
Hall sustained the injury on Nov. 9 when Michael Eyssimont of the Tampa Bay Lightning hit him.
Despite briefly playing in Saturday’s game against Nashville and participating in Sunday’s match against Buffalo, Hall logged more than 17 minutes. However, He missed Wednesday’s game against Columbus due to an injury initially described as undisclosed.
Describing the incident leading to the injury, Richardson shared, “A guy just pulled him down. It was just a nothing play, and just the way he fell on it, that was kind of one of the last straws. Then he tried to get through it, and in practice, he just caught a rut and it finalized him.”
Season Overview
The 32-year-old Hall had already missed six games this season due to a lower-body injury and a shoulder ailment.
Acquisition and Expectations
The Blackhawks acquired Hall in an offseason trade from the Boston Bruins, aiming to benefit in various ways, including his role as a linemate and mentor to Connor Bedard, the Regina Pats center, and Chicago’s No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.
Connor Bedard’s Perspective
Bedard, an 18-year-old touted as the NHL’s next generational talent, expressed the team’s feelings, stating, “It’s heartbreaking. Someone that loves to play so much, and every game so impactful and such a good hockey player, but such a good person and means so much to our group. … We know he’s still going to be around and, of course, a big part of the team.”
Team Dynamics
The Blackhawks, with a 5-12-0 record, sit three points above the Sharks for the NHL’s worst record as of Thanksgiving. On Thursday, they placed Hall and forward Andreas Athanasiou on injured reserve. Athanasiou, dealing with a groin injury, had the move retroactively dated to Nov. 9. To fill the roster gaps, the team recalled forwards Joey Anderson and Cole Guttman from the American Hockey League’s Rockford.
Mystery Surrounding Corey Perry
Coach Richardson declined to comment on why forward Corey Perry was a healthy scratch in the recent game against the Blue Jackets. He said, “We’re going to keep that internal in the organization right now. I’m unable to answer any more questions about that.”
Perry, acquired in a June trade with Tampa Bay and holding a $4 million, one-year contract with the Blackhawks, has recorded four goals and five assists in 16 games this season. Teammate Nick Foligno added, “Just know he’s not with us. We haven’t really gotten any details.”
This report used information from ESPN.
