Toews to play final game with Blackhawks, will not be re-signed

CHICAGO --Jonathan Toews will play his final game as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday after the longtime captain and team came to a mutual understanding that he will not be re-signed after his eight-year, $84 million contract expires at the end of this season.

The forward, who turns 35 on April 29, has yet to decide the future of his playing career. But after 1,066 NHL games, 371 goals, 511 assists and three Stanley Cup championships in a Blackhawks sweater, he will wear it one final time against the Philadelphia Flyers at United Center (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, NBCSP, ESPN+, SN NOW).
"I can only speak from my side, but it's incredibly difficult," Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said Thursday. "I feel like every time we've (made) a transaction the last little while it's me talking about how hard it is. But it's true. It's incredibly hard.
"Jonathan and I are the same age, and I watched his progression (back to) World Juniors. Being from Canada and watching him burst onto the scenes at the World Juniors for Canada and then the 2010 (Vancouver) Olympics for Canada. After that, I started with the Blackhawks and got to see first-hand the type of contributions, the type of player he was. To kind of take that step and have that conversation was not easy because of all he's done and the status that he holds. Not easy at all, but we look forward to watching what he does next and where he might go next and what he does. Tough decision, but something we felt was the right step to take in our rebuild."
Toews will not speak again until after the game Thursday.
The No. 3 pick in the 2006 NHL Draft, Toews was named Blackhawks captain July 18, 2008, and won the Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He has 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists) in 52 games this season, and announced Feb. 21 that he was stepping away from the Blackhawks to deal with the effects of long COVID-19 and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome, which kept him out the entire 2020-21 season.
"I feel like I've answered that one quite a few times here and like I said, I don't really have an answer right now," Toews said April 10. "I'm just trying to enjoy the last few days of the season here with this group and not thinking that far ahead. Just play your hardest and enjoy it."
Davidson said Toews' health and contract end did not factor into the decision not to re-sign him.
"This was strictly a decision for what we thought was best for the young players that would come in to step into that role," Davidson said, "and just allow the organic growth of leadership skills and providing this new wave the same opportunity that this past era was granted when they entered the NHL.
"Just a clean slate, an opportunity to step up and step in and work through the leadership development on their own terms rather than deferring and just leaving that to someone else. It forces some people to step up and experience things that they wouldn't experience if Jonathan were in the room."
The Blackhawks (26-49-6) are tied with the Anaheim Ducks for 30th in the NHL and will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third consecutive season and fifth in the past six.
The Toews news comes weeks after the Blackhawks traded another core piece of their three most recent championships, Patrick Kane, to the New York Rangers on Feb. 28.
Kane, the No. 1 pick by Chicago in the 2007 NHL Draft, played 1,161 regular-season games for the Blackhawks. His 1,000th NHL game was with Toews, a 7-1 loss to the Rangers on Dec. 18.
Speaking at the Rangers' morning skate Thursday, Kane said Toews "was like a brother."
"It was amazing to come up with him at the same time," Kane said. "Obviously, he was a lot more mature than I was coming into the League and ahead of his years, too. So great to come in with him and a lot of great memories just on the ice, off the ice as roommates, everything. I was very fortunate to come in with him at the same time and spend all those years together."
Toews and Kane played for Chicago's three Stanley Cup championship teams. They each signed their respective eight-year contracts July 8, 2014.
"I mean, for me, when it was my last game, I didn't know the situation, so I didn't know it was going to be my last game or my last game at home, anything like that," Kane said. "He's obviously in a situation now where he knows this will be his last game as a Hawk and he's had an amazing career. I really hope he enjoys tonight because he deserves it and puts on a show for the fans. He gave a lot of people a lot of great memories."
Toews has 119 points (45 goals, 74 assists) in 137 playoff games. In 2017, he was named one of the
100 Greatest NHL Players
of all-time.
"It's definitely on my mind that this could be my last few weeks here in Chicago as a Blackhawk," Toews said March 28. "It's definitely very important for me to just go out there and just enjoy the game and just kind of soak it in and just really appreciate everything that I've been able to be a part of here in Chicago and show my appreciation to the fans as well."
NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen contributed to this report