When it comes to finding players who need a change of scenery and make the most out of them, the Carolina Hurricanes find a way to do just that. Last January, the Hurricanes traded a 2025 third-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the three-team deal with the Colorado Avalanche. Along with getting Mikko Rantanen with 50% contract retention from the Blackhawks, they got Taylor Hall. Now in his first full season in Raleigh since signing his three-year, $9.5 million extension, Hall has found a career resurgence.
Hall’s Resurgence in Raleigh
Through 59 games, Hall has 14 goals and 32 points, while tallying five of those points in the last two games. He’s currently seventh on the team in goals, eighth in assists, and seventh in points. Hall’s three power-play goals have him tied for sixth on the team for added context to his 2025-26 season.
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After only playing 10 games with the Blackhawks in 2023-24 and 46 games in 2024-25 before the trade to the Hurricanes, Hall was not the same guy people saw with the Boston Bruins in 2021-22. Even his MVP season with the New Jersey Devils in 2017-18 feels like forever ago. Through 31 games last season for the Hurricanes following the trade, the flashes of what Hall used to be were coming through. He had nine goals and 18 points over that span with four power-play goals.
When the extension was announced on April 30, head coach Rod Brind’Amour stated that when it came to Hall, “He’s come in and just fit in. He’s not trying to do too much. He’s not trying to say, ‘Hey, I’m a former MVP of the league.’ He’s come in and said, ‘I’m just trying to fit in and do my part.’ I think that’s actually been the key to it all.” Since then, Hall has most of his opportunities with the Hurricanes and does everything he can to help the team win.
Even with his 14 goals and 32 points, Hall has only averaged 14:10 of ice time this season, the lowest of his career. However, when he is on the ice, he’s shown why the Hurricanes wanted him in that three-team trade. While he played up and down the lineup earlier in the season, his line with Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake has taken off.
Hall has the opportunity to have a 20-plus goal and 45-plus point season in 2025-26. The last time he had 20 goals was back in 2021-22 with the Bruins. That was also the last time he had more than 40 points in a season. Outside of his remarkable first full season in Boston, the last 20-plus goal and 40-point season was during his MVP season with the Devils (39 goals and 93 points).
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Hall has gotten better as the season has gone along, and shows no signs of slowing down. If he manages to get his ice time between 15 and 16 minutes a game, there is a good chance his offensive totals will continue to climb. Furthermore, if he can keep contributing on the second power-play unit, who knows how this season will end for Hall.
For Hall, staying in Carolina gave him an opportunity to stop moving around from team to team and a chance to play for a contender. Last season, he made the Eastern Conference Final with the Hurricanes in a flexible role. Now, he has been a permanent top-six forward experiencing a resurgence. If he can keep this season rolling, who says he can’t tally almost 25 goals and 50 points to close out his first full season in Raleigh? No matter how it ends this season, Hall has found his place in Carolina and has two more seasons to build on his return as a high-end player.
