It looks like it's over for Jonathan Toews in Chicago and he has an interesting statement for the fans

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Jeff Drouin
July 27, 2022 (3:34 PM)

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As we saw during the last NHL draft, the Chicago Blackhawks have started a real rebuild. They traded Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach back to back on that day to start over.

It seems that this strategy does not please the veterans of the club, including the captain Jonathan Toews.

"At the end of the day, we're talking about a five-year process when you go by what Kyle Davidson, the general manager said. That aspect doesn't sound appealing to me at all," Toews said. I can't speak for [Patrick Kane], but I really feel like there's been a lot of change every year for the last three or four years. It's very, very exhausting." - Jonathan Toews

"Alex DeBrincat was under Kane's wing and I like to think Kirby and I had the same type of chemistry," Toews said. Now they've walked out the door. We've seen that too many times. I've learned to be more patient, but there's no doubt what's coming is daunting. I'm not going to sit here and say what I'm going to do or what the future holds. I really don't know what's ahead of me." - Jonathan Toews

The purge of the club's roster begun by Davidson began long before the draft. After underperforming despite adding Marc-Andre Fleury and Seth Jones, the Blackhawks traded forward Brandon Hagel to the Tampa Bay Lightning before the trade deadline in March. Hagel, a promising winger in his own right, was under contract through 2023-2024.

"When we traded Hags and then Cat and Kirby, the reality really set in there, OK, this is where we are, and they really need to focus on the future. And it's just a shame to get to that point. But that's just the way it is. A lot of this stuff has been out of my control for a while, and it's a strange place to be a captain." - Jonathan Toews

Toews also noted that seeing Evgeni Malkin, who turns 36 on Sunday, re-sign with the always competitive Pittsburgh Penguins "definitely puts things in perspective" in terms of his situation with the Blackhawks.

The veteran Canadian center will be an unrestricted free agent after next season. He and Kane, who is in the same boat contractually, have full non-movement clauses, so they would have to approve any deal that would send them elsewhere.