The Chicago Blackhawks originally brought in Taylor Hall in a trade with the Boston Bruins to play and mentor Connor Bedard. A former first overall pick himself, Hall has played with many other picks, including Connor McDavid, Jack Hughes and Nic Hischier, so he has great experience in this arena.
He didn’t play much with Bedard during his time in the Blackhawks Hall. He was injured for most of the 2023-2024 season and did not play much in the 2024-25 season. They didn’t share much of the power ice either.
With every guy looking to get out, head coach Luke Richardson finally put them together. Philipp Kurashev is the third man to complete the trio. These three incredibly skilled players have huge potential.
In their 6-2 victory over the Stanley Cup contender Dallas Stars, it was the best lineup for either team. Hall scored a hat trick, Bedard scored a goal and Kurashev added an assist. By being together for a few days in training, they played a big game that they needed to win.
After the game, both Bedard and Hall were in incredibly good spirits, talking to the media. Of course, each of them talked about playing each other in this game.
The development of Connor Bedard is the most important thing this franchise can do right now. Because of his offensive potential as a result of his skill set, the Hawks need to get him to his peak level. If that means sticking Taylor Hall on the wing for a while, so be it. That will also help Hall in the long run.
Coach Luke Richardson has changed a lot. However, based on his post-game comments, it seems like this could be a trio that sticks around for a while.
You shouldn’t mess with a good thing, so the two must play side by side in equal strength. It might even be wise to get Hall and Bedard on the power play as often as they can.
Is Hall the team’s second-best hitter? One can make an argument for him, but it’s an open debate. That makes him have the highest ceiling based on what he’s done in the past.
Winning makes everyone better. If the Hawks continue to make smart decisions with the lineup, they could win a little more.
Now that Bedard is back on the board, he can rest up and be ready to open the floodgates on Friday against the Minnesota Wild.
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