5 Trade Landing Spots for Taylor Hall amid NHL Trade Rumors

With the Chicago Blackhawks in the middle of an extensive rebuild and headed toward another season with one of the league's worst records, it's a given that they are going to be one of the most active sellers ahead of the NHL trade deadline.

And one of the players who seems most likely to go is forward Taylor Hall.

Scott Powers of The Athletic noted several teams around the league could be interested, even if the veteran's production has tailed off. He suggested the 33-year-old could be had for as little as a second- or third-round pick and the Blackhawks could eat some of his remaining $6 million salary to perhaps make him even more attractive.

Hall entered play on Wednesday with eight goals and 21 total points in 39 games, putting him on a 15-goal, 40-point pace over 82 games.

It's not top-line production, but it could still appeal to a contender in need of some secondary scoring help.

With that said, let's take a look at five teams around the NHL that could—or perhaps should—have some interest.

Hall spent three-and-a-half years with the New Jersey Devils between 2016 and 2019, winning an MVP award and scoring 76 goals in 211 games.

He's not the player he was then, but the Devils are almost certainly going to be in the market for some more secondary scoring at the trade deadline. This should be a seen as a potential Stanley Cup season for them, and they should be aggressive buyers.

With Jacob Markstrom solidifying the goalie spot and the team being healthier this season, they are back to being a bona fide contender in the Eastern Conference.

Hall would make some sense, especially since they have three second-round picks and a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft. They have the assets to move.

They would probably need Chicago to eat some of Hall's salary, or at least get a third team involved to make it work from a salary-cap perspective, but a reunion would make a lot of sense for the Devils.

Their 3.19 goals per game are 11th in the NHL, so while offense is not a desperate need at the moment, it wouldn't hurt to have more scoring depth given some of the teams they will have to get through in the Eastern Conference playoff field.

Hall has not played in a ton of playoff games in his career, but when he has, he has had 14 goals in 39 career games. That includes a five-goal, eight-point performance in seven games during his most recent playoff appearance with the Boston Bruins in the 2022-23 season.

The Senators have not been in the playoffs in seven years, but they are back on the fringes of the Eastern Conference wild-card race.

After an extensive rebuild, there should be some urgency to get over the hump and get back in the playoffs, especially after an offseason that saw them add a No. 1 goalie in Linus Ullmark.

But while there should be some urgency, they have to be strategic about how much they are willing to spend.

This might be a playoff team, but it's almost certainly not a Stanley Cup team. It should not be in the market for giving up significant future assets for a player who might not be a long-term fit or significantly move the needle.

Hall might actually be the perfect type of target for the Senators. He would not cost much in terms of assets, and if he only costs a second- or third-round pick, that is not going to do anything to hurt the team's long-term outlook.

He also might be a nice upgrade to an offense that is averaging only 2.92 goals per game (21st in the NHL). Ottawa needs a winger who won't cost a lot, and Hall certainly fits that criteria.

The Washington Capitals made the playoffs a year ago, but there were no expectations for them when they got there.

They were outscored by more than 35 goals for the season, were below average across the board and pretty much seen as one of the worst playoff teams of the modern era.

That is not the case this season.

After an incredible offseason that significantly strengthened the roster at forward, defense and in goal, the Capitals have been one of the NHL's best teams through the first half of the season and look like a team that could be a Cup contender.

They might not get many more chances with Alex Ovechkin, so they need to take advantage of it while they can.

Washington is one of the highest-scoring teams in the league (3.66 goals per game), so another winger may not be a huge need, but that has cooled off a bit in recent weeks.

If the Capitals can get Hall for cheap, it might be a solid upgrade to make an already good, deep offensive team even better. An added bonus would be if it keeps another rival Eastern Conference team from getting him.

Washington has two second-round picks and a third-round pick this year. It could easily match Chicago's asking price.

There is a pretty common denominator in all of the Toronto Maple Leafs' most recent playoff losses: They do not score enough goals.

Sometimes that has fallen on the top players and their core four of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander.

Sometimes, that has fallen on the secondary players and the depth scorers; sometimes, it has been both groups of players.

Either way, the bottom line is the Leafs have not always scored enough goals in their playoff series and that needs to change if they are going to make any sort of run in the postseason.

There is probably no team in the NHL facing more pressure to win in the playoffs this season than Toronto, so it can't leave any stone unturned when it comes to adding at the deadline.

The Leafs don't need a top-line scorer, because they already have a few of them. They need someone who can play in a middle-six role and provide some secondary scoring depth. Hall could be a perfect fit for that.

You hate to say a team has championship-or-bust expectations because that can only be setting them up for disappointment.

However, the Dallas Stars should be in such a mindset. At the very least, they should be looking to get to the Final. They have been in the Western Conference Final two years in a row, and now it's time to go one step further.

With Tyler Seguin sidelined, the Stars need to add another forward, especially with their power play being one of the worst in the league this season at only 16.8 percent (27th in the NHL).

If they place Seguin on LTIR, that might open the door to go after a bigger scorer at the trade deadline, and even if they don't, Hall could be an attractive option.

A forward should be on the Stars' shopping list. They are one of the best teams in the NHL and should be aggressive buyers over the coming weeks. Hall would be a good player to look at.