In 2017-18, Chicago Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall enjoyed an unforgettable campaign with the New Jersey Devils. That season, Hall finished with 93 points and 39 goals, but his most impressive stat may have been the 81 takeaways he accumulated.

It seemed as though no matter where Hall was on the ice, opponents had to account for him, and the results were better than advertised. Hall has yet to put up those numbers again, and he probably won’t, as he makes his way back from an ACL injury. But it doesn’t mean he can’t be an effective player with the Hawks, something he implied in a recent statement.

Hall, who has been gracing NHL lineups since his days with the Edmonton Oilers in 2010-11, is entering his age-33 season, so it’s only right to have some skepticism here. Plus, his final season with the Bruins wasn’t a pretty one, as he finished the year with just 36 points and 16 goals in 61 games, but he’s also just two years removed from a 61-point, 20-goal outing in 81 contests.

If you can imagine a lineup led by Connor Bedard and with Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi providing immediate supplementation before throwing in Philipp Kurashev and Jason Dickinson, a resurging Taylor Hall would give this team an underrated but solid group of forwards.

Taylor Hall returning to form would be magnificent for the Blackhawks

This doesn’t even account for a potentially rejuvenated Lukas Reichel just to throw one name out there, or even a surprise player. Knowing this, it shows us just how effective Hall will be in many ways for Chicago, and once again, his presence at full strength should only lead to higher expectations.

If Hall even remotely resembles what he accomplished during that magical 2017-18 season early in 2024-25, Blackhawks fans will have every reason to start expecting, at the absolute least, playoff contention come the 2025 calendar year.

This is, of course, assuming Bedard makes the jump, Teravainen, and Bertuzzi are for real, and the defensive rotation and goaltending improve.

Hint: It will, based on who general manager Kyle Davidson brought in. So, once again, if you follow the Hawks, you have a right to an optimistic mindset, especially if one of those projected top four teams in the Central shows some vulnerability early.