Chicago Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson confirmed on Monday that forward Taylor Hall is now sidelined week-to-week due to a shoulder injury. Hall’s shoulder troubles began after a blindside hit from Boston’s Brandon Carlo in the early days of the NHL season. Despite missing just one game against Montreal, Hall reaggravated his injury during Saturday’s 5-3 loss to Vegas, managing only two shots on goal.
As quoted by Scott Powers of The Athletic: “He’s going to be out for a bit, we’re not sure how long,” Richardson said after Monday’s practice. The coach added, “He was trying to play through it, and instead of making him still try to do that, you could always have a risk of him hurting it worse or something else protecting it. He’s going to take the next few games and then we’ll go week to week to see how he’s doing.”
In his first season with the Blackhawks after being acquired before the 2023 NHL Draft, Hall has contributed two assists in five games. He was expected to play a vital role in mentoring Connor Bedard, the team’s first overall pick in 2023. Just recently, comments from Hall stirred up debate as he claimed the media’s demands of Conor Bedard were a bit much and that it’s not right that that rookie is asked to fill some many interview and appearance obligations.
Chicago, currently holding a 2-4 record this season, secured victories against Pittsburgh in the opener and Toronto last Monday. However, their momentum was halted by a 5-3 defeat to Vegas in the home opener and Hall has said that Bedard’s performance, while still impressive, is likely being affected by the demands of being the NHL’s newest marketing toy.
The Blackhawks are gearing up to face the Bruins on Tuesday night.
More must-reads: