CHICAGO -- Taylor Hall will miss the rest of the season for the Chicago Blackhawks because of ACL surgery on his right knee, coach Luke Richardson said Thursday.
The 32-year-old forward, who did not play in the Blackhawks’ 7-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday, had four points (two goals, two assists) in 10 games this season.
“He’s very disappointed," Richardson said. "(It) just came from an accumulation of a bunch of little injuries and the game and even in practice the other day, and it just became unstable that they have to fix that now.”
Hall initially sustained an injury to his right leg in a 5-3 win against the Lightning on Nov. 9. He had to be helped off the ice after he fell backward on the leg, which was bent under him, following a collision with Lightning forward Michael Eyssimont in the third period.
Hall missed the next two games but played in a back-to-back against the Nashville Predators on Saturday (16:39 of ice time in 4-2 loss) and Buffalo Sabres on Sunday (17:05 of ice time in 3-2 loss) before missing Chicago's game against Columbus on Wednesday.
“A guy just pulled him down. Just a nothing play and just the way he fell on it, it was one of the last straws," Richardson said. "Then he tried to get through it and in practice he caught a rut and that finalized it."
Connor Bedard, who was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and played at times on a line with Hall this season, said the news was “heartbreaking.”
“Someone that loves to play so much and every game is so impactful," Bedard said. "Such a good hockey player, but such a good person and means so much to our group.
“Obviously, we're rooting for him and wishing him the best. We know he's still going to be around and of course a big part of the team. It's sad but he's going to do everything he can to get back.”
Hall was acquired by the Blackhawks along with forward Nick Foligno in a trade with the Boston Bruins on June 26, but he struggled to stay healthy from the start of the season.
He sustained a shoulder injury in Chicago's second game on Oct. 11. That injury was initially supposed to keep him out week to week, but he skated with the team two days later and returned to play on Oct. 16.
However, after playing in just three games, Hall was placed on injured reserve after reaggravating the injury.
“I know what kind of player he is, and it just stinks that he really couldn’t get going with the injuries,” Foligno said. “We feel for him. He’s a guy that was really excited about the opportunity he has here. In the long run, this will probably be the best thing for him, because you’re going to get a healthy and motivated version of Taylor Hall, which I think is going to be very scary in a lot of ways. But it hurts.
“Listen, we need guys like him in this lineup. That was a little bit of a shock, but he’s got to do what’s best for him and his career, and we all understand that. When you’re playing through injuries, especially the way he plays with his speed, if he can’t do that, he needs to go and get that better. We’ll miss him, but we’re happy he’s going to get fixed up and ready to go.”
The Blackhawks also placed forward Andreas Athanasiou (groin) on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 9. He has four assists in 11 games this season.
Chicago recalled forwards Joey Anderson and Cole Guttman from Rockford of the American Hockey League.
