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Connor Bedard Opens Up On Losing Mentor Taylor Hall In Recent Blockbuster Trade

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Tom Banks
January 25, 2025  (11:57 PM)
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Taylor Hall was a central piece of the Mikko Rantanen trade on Friday, and now, 19-year-old superstar Connor Bedard has reacted to losing a key mentor.

The past 24 hours in the NHL have been full of absolute chaos, with Mikko Rantanen moved to the Carolina Hurricanes in a move that saw Taylor Hall waive his no-trade clause to head to a Stanley Cup contending team.

We've already seen how hard it was for Jared Bednar and Nathan MacKinnon to say goodbye to Rantanen, and now we've heard from Connor Bedard in regards to his mentor Taylor Hall.

«He was really good for me, obviously being in a similar situation to him coming into our careers. He was always giving me advice or there for questions or whatever. I ended up becoming pretty close to him.»

At 18 years of age entering the NHL, no one knew Bedard's journey better than Hall, who himself was once a No. 1 overall draft pick, as Hall became a genuine mentor for the now 19-year-old superstar forward.

«It (stinks) he's gone, but obviously, it's pretty exciting for him -- new opportunity and everything. But we're going to miss him.»

While Bedard certainly admitted he was upset when he heard the news, he and the rest of the team were happy for Hall, who would not have gotten the chance to make a push for a Stanley Cup in Chicago, as they all want their teammate to get the chance to do so.

Thankfully for Bedard, he still has some pieces around him to lead him and show the way at the NHL level, and with money to spend in free agency, they may now add some elite-level talent around him, but it's easy to see why he's frustrated with the way things played out on Friday.

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