This season was always supposed to be a development year for the Chicago Blackhawks. With the Blackhawks trading Alex DeBrincat, Kirby Dach and Brandon Hagel in the last 10 months it was clear the team was heading in a new direction. That doesn't mean anyone expected it to be this bad, especially Jonathan Toews.
The Blackhawks currently sit 2nd last in the entire league with 18 points this season. Losing comes with challenges and for someone like Jonathan Toews, that's difficult to swallow. After missing an entire season due to health issues, Toews returned to the Blackhawks lineup last season. After acquiring Seth Jones and Marc-Andre Fleury, hopes in Chicago were high, but the team fell short missing the playoffs and being deadline sellers.
Last night after the Blackhawks loss, it seemed like Toews was no longer able to find a bright spot in his team's performance. Toews was also unable to shoulder the blame himself, something he's been notorious for doing as Captain of the team. During last night's media availability it was clear that Toews is at the end of his rope.
Toews is in the final year of his current contract with the Blackhawks and it is expected that he will meet with General Manager, Kyle Davidson in January about his future. Davidson has made it clear that he has no intention of trading either Kane or Toews, unless that's what they want. But as the losses pile up and the years roll on, it's clear Toews opportunities to win another Cup are slowly dwindling.
