For Taylor Hall, getting traded to the Chicago Blackhawks could be a great situation.
The forward will likely be playing with Connor Bedard, who the Blackhawks selected No. 1 at the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft in Nashville on Wednesday, meaning Hall, a No. 1 pick himself in 2010, will play a bigger on-ice role than he did last season with the Boston Bruins.
"It's really exciting," said Hall on Saturday, who was traded with forward Nick Foligno to the Blackhawks from the Bruins on June 26.
"The first reaction to getting traded is, you're a little bit bummed. But when I started looking more and more and realizing the opportunity that (Foligno) and I both have there, the chance to show we can still play, and we can still do a lot of really good things and help a team."
Bedard is arguably the most highly touted No. 1 pick in the League since Connor McDavid was taken first by the Edmonton Oilers in 2015. Hall understands the pressure that Bedard will feel; the 31-year-old was selected first by the Oilers in the 2010 NHL Draft.
Hall said he likes how Bedard has handled himself.
"You can tell watching him deal with the media and talk he's pretty well-mannered," Hall said. "He knows what to expect, has high expectations for himself. For guys like (Foligno) and I, it's about letting him play and bringing the best out of him, trying to eliminate distractions and give him advice and mentor him along as best as possible."
Bedard led the Western Hockey League in goals (71), points (143), shots on goal (360), points per game (2.51) and goals per game (1.24) in 57 regular-season games for Regina this season. The 17-year-old also tied for the WHL lead in assists (72) and game-winning goals (11).
Bedard knows he can learn from Hall.
"Just the experiences he's had in his career," Bedard said. "He was in my shoes one day with me trying to make the NHL, of course. Just getting to watch him and ask him questions and feed off some of that stuff would be really good for me."
Hall has 693 points (264 goals, 429 assists) in 822 regular-season games for the Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres and Bruins. He has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $24 million contract ($6 million average annual value) he signed with the Bruins on July 23, 2021.
Hall won the Hart Trophy voted as NHL most valuable player in 2017-18, when he had an NHL career-high 93 points (39 goals, 54 assists) for the Devils. That season he was averaging 19:09 minutes of ice time and 1.22 points per game.
Last season, Hall was playing more of a third-line role on the very deep Bruins, averaging 15:56 of ice time and 0.59 points per game.
"Basically, everyone was taking a little bit lesser of a role than they would normally be accustomed to, with the hopes of winning a Stanley Cup," he said. "Obviously, that didn't happen, but it still was an amazing year. My two and a half years in Boston I learned so much from those guys and from the organization. I have nothing but good memories there.
"In saying that, I'm excited to play a bigger role. I'm excited to show that I've grown and show that, even at my age, I can still be a top-line guy and that's really exciting for me."
It's another role change with another team for Hall, who's gone through this a few times in his career. But there are a lot of positives in coming to Chicago.
"There's a lot worse spots you can go, a city like Chicago, a player like Bedard coming in and an organization like they have," he said. "It's pretty exciting for all of us."
