Shocked Jonathan Toews believes any Blackhawks player can be traded now
Anthony Scultore
|
In the aftermath of the Blackhawks trading Brandon Hagel and two fourth-round picks to the Tampa Bay Lightning, everyone is uneasy in Chicago.
On Friday, Hawks GM Kyle Davidson moved the 23 year-old Hagel for a monster package that included prospects Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk from the Lightning as well as conditional first-round selections in the 2023 and 2024 NHL Drafts.
“I said a few weeks ago that we are rebuilding, and this is clearly the start of that,” Davidson said. “Getting two first-round draft picks as well as two young NHL players helps us kickstart that process in a major way. We know that Brandon Hagel was a fan favorite — our fans loved him for all the reasons we loved him — and we know he will be successful with the Lightning.”
Jonathan Toews thinks anyone on Blackhawks can be traded
Toews, 33, has 24 points (four goals, 15 assists) in 50 games this season. The forward has 839 points in 993 career games since being selected by the Blackhawks with the third overall pick of the 2006 NHL Draft.
The longtime captain of the Blackhawks is now questioning his own future and for that matter anyone else’s in the Chicago dressing room.
“Yeah, if Hags is the guy to get traded, if he’s not a guy that’s a part of a rebuild, then I don’t know. I don’t know if anyone feels safe at this point,” Toews told The Athletic(subscription required). “Now all of a sudden you realize no one on our team is safe and we could all be going in different directions in the near future — it’s pretty discouraging. I’ll leave it at that for now.”
The three-time Stanley Cup winner missed the entire 2020-21 season with chronic immune response syndrome. He has one year remaining at $10.5 million and when he was asked about possibly playing elsewhere gave a candid answer.
“My primary focus, to get back to a place where I feel like I’m in control of my own destiny, then maybe we’ll start evaluating what the future looks like. So, we’ll see,” he said.
Toews also added that he hasn’t had any discussions about his future with Davidson yet but expects to do so soon.
One thing is for certain, if he’s available there will be plenty of suitors out there for his services.
What about Patrick Kane?
Kane, 33, is having another great season for the Blackhawks with 68 points in 57 games. The Buffalo, NY native has called Chicago his home for 15 years and spoke openly in early March about where he sees himself.
“Let’s be honest, I love Chicago. I love the City and the fans,” Kane said. ““I think there’s always business decisions. I know in the game of hockey there’s not many guys that play their whole career with one team. So it would be a privilege and an honor to do that. But I guess we’ll see how it all plays out.”
The Blackhawks top scorer said he has yet to speak with Davidson about his future but knows they will. Is it possible he could be traded? The answer is yes, but he has a full no-move clause and any transaction requires his blessing.
After yesterday’s trade there’s a belief anything can happen and Patrick Kane could be the shock move of the trade deadline. Even if he gets by March 21, an off-season trade could be in the works.