Meet the new Blackhawks: Is Taylor Hall still a top-line player?
Hall has won a Hart Trophy before, but that was several years ago. What can he bring to the Blackhawks now?
One major question for the Blackhawks to answer following this May's draft lottery was who they had that could keep up with the offensive wizardry arriving in September when Connor Bedard comes to town.
A possible answer to that question came in late June, when the Blackhawks traded for Taylor Hall, who certainly believes he can be an answer and said as much when he met with the media a few days following the trade:
Taylor Hall on joining the Blackhawks: "I’m excited to play a bigger role and show that, even at my age, I can be a top-line guy.”
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) July 1, 2023
Of course, it's not like Hall is going to respond by saying: "No, I'm not that good anymore. Don't play me with Bedard." But Hall will turn 32 years old on Nov. 14 and the 2010 No. 1 overall pick likely won't be finding the same form he had when he won the 2017-18 Hart Trophy with the New Jersey Devils. Still, it seems like he's going to be a top-line forward alongside Bedard to start the season.
So, how's that going to work? Let's dive into the numbers to see if there's an answer in there.
