Chicago Blackhawks: From Bad to Worse
The Chicago Blackhawks have been on a severe downward trajectory since the team’s last Stanley Cup win in 2015. Chicago’s once elite NHL team only made the playoffs twice since then and never made it out of the first round. Despite all of the failures, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have remained and continued to produce at an elite level. Soon, however, the unthinkable may happen.
It seems more and more realistic that Toews and Kane are no longer members of the Blackhawks after the 2022-23 NHL season comes to an end. Waiving their no-movement clauses to join a contending team at the NHL Trade Deadline or signing somewhere other than Chicago in free agency this summer becomes more plausible as the days go by.
Toews and Kane, both 34, were not shy to announce their displeasure and shock with the team's direction. Kyle Davidson, the new general manager of the Blackhawks, has not been shy either in announcing his opinion on the team's direction. Davidson has made his goal clear: tank. With the departures of Kevin Lankinen, Dylan Strome, Kirby Dach, and, most notably, Alex DeBrincat in the offseason, the Blackhawks have become one of the laughingstocks of the NHL.
Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have been competing on a team with a much higher caliber than that for most of their careers. They are three-time Stanley Cup champions, Conn Smythe Trophy winners, and have led their team to earn the President’s Trophy, among plenty of other achievements. Those trophies have no business near a team that is doing its absolute worst to tank for Connor Bedard. It is fairly obvious that the Blackhawks will not be a contender now and will not be one for a long time. Fans can’t help but wonder if this is the final straw for Toews and Kane, who are in the final year of their matching eight-year contracts.
As of right now, the Blackhawks are 7-16-4, which equates to last place in the Central Division and 31st in the entire league, barely ahead of the last-place Anaheim Ducks. There is so much speculation that Toews and Kane will want to end their careers with a bang and a real chance at winning the Stanley Cup. Many think Toews would be perfect for the defending champion Colorado Avalanche, the team he rooted for as a child.
Fans dream of Kane reuniting with previous linemate and close friend Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers. The hearts of Blackhawks fans everywhere will be pounding on March 3rd, the NHL Trade Deadline, and it won’t stop there. If Jonathan and Patrick choose to play out the rest of the season in Chicago, they can still decide to leave when free agency begins on July 1st.
With Toews having missed an entire season just two years ago with persisting health issues and Kane being open about his nagging injuries, it is clear that these two are not ageless wonders. Their time in the NHL is limited, and they have a life-altering decision to make. Should they leave their home and the team that welcomed them with open arms fifteen years ago? Should they stay loyal? Staying loyal likely means never having a chance at what many consider to be the greatest trophy in all of sports again.
For now, until a decision is made, fans need to sit back, relax, and enjoy what could be the last season of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in Chicago Blackhawks jerseys.