For the first time in his career, Jonathan Toews does not know what the future looks like. But, he knows one thing for sure -- he is not interested in the Chicago Blackhawks' rebuild.
In an interview with The Athletic, Toews said this about the rebuild, "At the end of the day, we’re talking about a five-plus-year process, according to Kyle. So that part of it doesn’t sound appealing to me at all. I can’t speak for Kaner, but I definitely feel that the amount of turnover our team has gone through every single year these last three or four years, that’s where it gets really, really draining. And exhausting. You have a guy like Alex DeBrincat who was under Kaner’s wing. And I like to think that Kirby and I had that bond in some ways, too. And out they go, out the door. Over and over, we’ve seen that turnover. I’m learning to be more patient, but there’s no doubt that timeline is pretty daunting, and pretty exhausting to think about. So I’m not going to sit here and say what I’m going to do or what the future holds for me, because I really don’t know.”
The Hawks completely flipped their roster upside down this offseason, trading Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach, while releasing others like Dylan Strome. They acquired three first-round draft picks after having none of their own and brought in young, quick prospects.
General manager Kyle Davidson has made it clear to Toews and Patrick Kane that he's instilling a full-scale rebuild, but he's reaching out with open arms to both of them being a part of it.
The two stars each have no-movement clauses, meaning they cannot be traded without their permission. Davidson has not been adamant about either of them lifting it to force them out. Instead, he's offering the two to choose their own destiny.
It's all but likely Kane will request a trade down the line, likely at next season's trade deadline. He's still in his prime with a lot left to prove. It's only logical he'll want to compete for a contender and keep his career in the conversation of being the best American player ever.
For Toews, however, his options are not as clear.
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Does he go the Kane-route and get traded to a contender? Does he stick around for the rebuild? Or, does he look back on his three Stanley Cups, Conn Smythe Trophy, two Olympic gold medals, call it a career and wait for the day his name is called into the Hall of Fame?
Nobody knows. Especially not Toews.
The only thing he knows is that he's not a fan of the rebuild.
“I’m not going to say, hey, look at that, look at how the grass could be greener on the other side,” Toews said. “But when you go through a couple of tough seasons like this, it definitely puts things in perspective and reminds you how good you had it when things were all clicking and the stars aligned for us. It kind of breaks your heart to think that way, to remember how crazy and how exciting it is in this city to play for these fans when we’re on top. But this is a different stage in life, where the challenges are different, and you do the best you can.”