Chicago Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall will undergo right knee surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the 2023-24 season, the team announced Thursday.
Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson confirmed after practice that it's an ACL injury for Hall.
"He’s very disappointed, but just came from an accumulation of a bunch of little injuries and the game and even in practice the other day," Richardson said. "It just became unstable that they have to fix that now."
Hall originally injured his knee in Tampa Bay on Nov. 9 after taking a hit from Lightning forward Michael Eyysimont late in the third period. He returned missed a little more than a week of action and return on Nov. 18, playing the next two games before the Blackhawks kept him home from the Columbus trip on Wednesday to be reevaluated.
Apparently, Hall caught a rut in practice on Tuesday and it was the final straw.
"It's heartbreaking," Connor Bedard said. "Someone that loves to play so much and every game is so impactful. Such a good hockey player but such a good person and means so much to our group. It's heartbreaking, like I said.
Chicago Blackhawks
"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, 32, has four points (two goals, two assists) in 10 games with the Blackhawks this season. It's a brutal blow for the Blackhawks, who now have a gaping hole in their top-six.
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"It’s a huge loss," Nick Foligno said. "I know what kind of player he is and it just stinks that he really couldn’t get going with the injuries. 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 recalled forwards Joey Anderson and Cole Guttman from the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League, and also placed Andreas Athanasiou (groin) on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 9.
