How Blackhawks are treating Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane as deadline looms

CHICAGO – Hope remains that Jonathan Toews has not played his final game in a Chicago Blackhawks sweater, but the captain’s health has taken a turn for the worse.

Though the 34-year-old had been skating last week in an effort to return to action, he has opted to take a step back and focus on getting healthy.

“It’s frustrating. He wants to compete. He wants his body to respond effectively and the way he wishes it would,” general manager Kyle Davidson said Sunday evening.

“He’s in good spirits but frustrated — and that’s understandable.”

The three-time Stanley Cup champion has quietly been struggling with the effects of long COVID-19 and chronic immune response syndrome for “a while” but had been pushing through soreness and fatigue to play through Jan. 28.

The centreman has 14 goals and 14 assists through 46 games.

After a setback in his condition, however, Toews released the following statement Sunday:

Complicating the player’s future is the looming March 3 trade deadline. Toews holds an expiring contract and a full no-movement clause, but had he chosen to waive it at full health, he would most certainly have suitors.

“We’re not thinking about that. We’re trying to help him get back to full strength, and that's totally secondary,” Davidson said.

“We miss him being around the team, and we want to get him back around the team and on the ice. But in the meantime, we're going to work with him and support him in whatever he needs to make sure he's feeling good and feeling strong and in a good spot where he can come back on the ice. So, we'll take it day by day. But the hope is that he can still play some games here down the stretch.

“Hopefully he’s here to finish out the season.”

The other big question mark in these hallways is, of course, Patrick Kane, who has yet to determine whether he wants to make himself available for trade.

Davidson said he and Kane’s agent, Pat Brisson, are in constant communication and that he has not given his star winger a deadline to make up his mind.

“I’m assuming it’s going to be soon,” Davidson said. “The idea that there not being a decision reached is looked negatively on by us — I just want to dispel that notion. That's not at play here.

“Patrick has done a lot for the organization. He’s done a tremendous amount for the city. And he deserves the leeway to make the right decision for himself, and so we’re gonna give him that space. But when we do get to a conclusion, one way or the other, it’ll be through a partnership and collaborative decision-making process.”

In the time Kane has used to determine what’s next, the New York Rangers instead acquired winger Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues.

Kane expressed publicly that he wasn’t thrilled by the trade. He wanted the option to reunite with pal Artemi Panarin and chase a fourth title.

“It’s refreshing to see that honesty, and that's how he felt, and so I’m glad he expressed it. I didn't really feel one way or the other, to be honest,” Davidson said. “Patrick's an honest guy, and that's what he thought, and so I had no issue it.”

Davidson described talks with Kane as open and fluid. He’s not waiting for a specific list of destinations, nor is he presenting a finite list to the player.

“There’s a lot of give and take. I don't think there is a defined path on how we're going to treat it,” Davidson said. “It’s a really difficult decision for Patrick, right? And that's something that we recognize and allow him the leeway to make the best decision for himself, and we're going to follow that.”

What about the idea of re-signing Toews and/or Kane beyond this season?

“We’ll get to the deadline, and then we’ll figure out what decisions are for the future after that,” Davidson said.

“Those are discussions that remain to be had. I think that's a two-way street.”