"I ended up coming pretty close to him": Connor Bedard makes feelings known about Taylor Hall's trade out of Chicago Blackhawks

Young phenom Connor Bedard expressed his surprise and disappointment upon hearing the news that veteran Taylor Hall had been traded from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Hall was sent to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of a blockbuster three-team deal also involving the Colorado Avalanche.

"I was shocked, to be honest with you," Bedard said about Hall's departure. "He was always giving me advice or there for questions or whatever. I ended up coming pretty close to him. So, sucks, sucks he's gone."

Bedard described how abruptly the trade unfolded from his perspective:

"He was there at the rink playing soccer, and then the next scene always, obviously, what happens and, you know, but that's the business of it, I guess. And obviously it sucks. You're hanging out. We got one minute, and then he's gone and he's not at the rink anymore."

In the blockbuster deal, the Hurricanes acquired Taylor Hall and Mikko Rantanen from Chicago, while sending Jack Drury, Martin Necas, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick to Colorado.

The Blackhawks received their 2025 third-round pick and will retain 50% of Rantanen's salary in the deal.

Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno's take on the Taylor Hall trade

Nick Foligno shared his candid thoughts on the trade that sent Taylor Hall to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.

"We have no one else to blame but ourselves really in putting ourselves in the situation where they have to start thinking about the future and selling off," Foligno said, per NHL.com.

He acknowledged the harsh reality of trades, especially for struggling teams like the Blackhawks. Chicago currently sits second-to-last in the league with a 15-28-5 record, which prompted management to trade Taylor Hall, an impending free agent, to a playoff contender in Carolina.

Foligno and Hall had developed a close friendship during Hall's short time in Chicago after being acquired from Boston last June.

"It’s not a fun feeling for anybody in here. When you’ve been a part of it a couple of times in my career, not too many, you lose some good friends," Foligno said.

At the same time, the captain recognized that such moves were necessary.

"In the same breath, it’s the business we understand and when you’re not where you’re supposed to be and guys are on expiring contracts, it’s the harsh reality of decisions that management has to make," he said.

While Foligno admitted it was disappointing to lose a teammate and friend, he expressed excitement for Hall to join the second-place Hurricanes and chase a Stanley Cup.