Taylor Hall seems to be fitting in nicely with his new team, the Carolina Hurricanes. He has now played two games after being traded by the Chicago Blackhawks and just recorded his first point in his second game that came against the New York Rangers.
It appears as though the Rangers have a way of allowing players on new teams to get their first point as all four players in the three team trade involving the Blackhawks, Hurricanes, and Colorado Avalanche put up at least a point against the Rangers already.
The Hurricanes won 4-0 in Hall’s second game back in the Eastern Conference with the Stanley Cup contender. While the veteran winger played 11:36 in the first game and recorded four shots, three hits, and a blocked shot, he had a different impact in his most recent game.
Hall was moved to the second line to play with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Andrei Svechnikov and the veteran finished the game with 18:18 of ice time. He now has a shooter in Svechnikov on his line, so Hall didn’t even end up recording a shot. Instead, he had an assist, a block, and was a +2 in the game.
There is definitely going to be more shuffling this season for the Hurricanes team that has a lot of talent up front. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour will be looking to find the best combinations at all times, but for now, I think Hall earned his stay on the second line for the time being with his performance in his second game in Carolina.
It seems like Hall is bound to produce at a better clip than in his time with the Blackhawks because the Hurricanes score so much more and he’s playing higher in the lineup with better players. But while the Blackhawks considered keeping him, it is probably a better situation for both teams and Hall that he was traded.
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