As our collective jaws dropped to the floor when the news of the Mikko Rantanen trade was announced, it's often forgotten that the first report from the chaos was that Taylor Hall was being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. While not the star he'd been early in his career, his addition turned out to be far greater than one would've expected.
A former top pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2010, Hall's career hasn't gone the way of the usual #1 pick. He's bounced around the league a lot throughout his 15 years, with Raleigh marking his 7th stop. That's not to say Hall hasn't been very good. He's a former Hart winner, claiming the title with 93 points in 2018. Now, we have a former MVP in our midst, and will for years to come.
Last season: 18-24-42 in 77 games (w/ CHI & CAR)/2-4-6 in the playoffs
After missing most of 2023-24 following knee surgery, Hall hoped to return with a vengeance with the Blackhawks. Instead, he struggled to begin the season. Outside of a hat trick in late November against Dallas, Hall hadn't scored much, providing nine points in his first 23 contests. He scored points in more than half of Chicago's games in December, notching 11 points in 15 games.
Hall slowed down again to start 2025, ending his run in Chicago with four points over his final nine contests as a Blackhawk. His run with the Hurricanes didn't start any better. Hall recorded his first point in his second game, assisting on Andrei Svechnikov's first-period goal in New York. He added his first goal on Whalers Night a month later, but Hall only had three points in 14 games.
Like the rest of the Hurricanes, things started to fall into place after the craziness of the trade deadline passed. Hall went on a tear over the final 17 games of the season, scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace. He scored his second hat trick of the season in Anaheim to start a three-game goal streak. Hall finished the regular season with 18 points in 31 games as a Hurricane.
The playoffs began with a two-assist effort from Hall, but outside of a goal in Game 5 against the Devils, the 1st round wasn't anything special. The peak of his postseason came in Game 4 of the Washington series, scoring a breakaway goal midway through the 3rd period to send the Lenovo Center into a frenzy. He went without a point in the conference finals, finishing with six points.
Bold Prediction: Hall leads the Hurricanes in PPGs
Of the predictions I've made, this might be the most outlandish, especially given the other players on the team's top power play. However, Hall was one of the few sparks on the team's power play after joining. The Canes' power play was abysmal for much of the season. From January 24th through the end of the season, the team was 14-for-95. Hall had almost 1/3 of those goals.
With his four power-play goals with the Canes, Hall was tied for 6th on the team despite playing over 40 fewer games than everyone else in front of him, except for Martin Necas, whom he was traded for. I think it's unlikely that Hall starts the season on PP1, though it doesn't mean he can't be a major factor on PP2 and get a bump to the top unit if it's struggling.
By signing a three-year extension during the playoffs, the Hurricanes made a short-term commitment to Hall. He's made it clear that he's tired of moving around and hopes that Carolina is the final stop on his journey. I would also very much like for that to be the case. A player with his pedigree for a full season should be very beneficial for the entire team.