CHICAGO– Taylor Hall said he and Chicago Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson are on the same page after the 33-year-old forward was blindsided by a healthy scratch in a 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

“We communicated,” Hall said after practice Monday. “It wasn’t anything argumentative. He thought it was best for me to reset, so that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not immune to coaching or being held accountable. I just want to play better and get better.” better for our team.”

The 2018 Hart Trophy winner was named the NHL’s Most Valuable Player, who has six points (two goals, four assists) in 17 games this season, and said the healthy scratch was “unexpected from the standpoint that I didn’t know I was even close’. to really be in that place.

“If there was a conversation about my playing in the days leading up to it, or if there was constant video showing me, that would be one thing,” Hall said. “I was a little surprised.”

Richardson said the lack of communication with Hall about the impending scratch “could be part of my problem too.”

“Sometimes you give veterans a little more reprieve and I know he’s frustrated,” Richardson said. “I don’t want the frustration to last too long, so it was a good moment for maybe a small setback, but to be able to communicate with him I need to get to know the player better to see how he deals with it. We talked a lot during and after the game, but maybe there should be more before, so that’s something I learned about one player.”

Hall, the No. 1 pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2010 NHL Draft, has 703 points (268 goals, 435 assists) in 849 games for the Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins and Blackhawks, including an NHL career-high 93 points (39 goals, 54 assists) in 76 games with the Devils during his Hart Trophy-winning season. Chicago acquired Hall and Nick Foligno in a trade with Boston on June 26, 2023. Hall had four points (two goals, two assists) in 10 games in 2023–24 before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee to repair. November 27.

Hall was on the left wing on the second line with center Ryan Donato and right wing Ilya Mikheyev during practice and is expected to be in the lineup when the Blackhawks (6-11-1) play the Anaheim Duck on Tuesday at United Center (8 : 30 p.m. ET; Victory+, CHSN, KCOP-13).

“(Richardson) thought it was best for me to just reset, and that’s what I’m going to do,” Hall said. “There are some things in my game that if I’m not playing well, Luke and the coaching staff obviously just want me to do a little bit better, so that’s it. We talked, we talked today, and I’m I’m excited to play tomorrow.”

Richardson, in his third season as Blackhawks coach, said he thought Hall would be fine after a “reset.”

“He had a great workout today and part of my thought process is to reset for a few days like this and we hope this leads in that direction,” Richardson said.