The Chicago Blackhawks will not be moving captain Jonathan Toews before the NHL’s trade deadline on March 3rd, as first reported by Daily Faceoff’s insider Frank Seravalli.
Most importantly for Toews, there does not appear to be any major long-term health concerns and it’s possible Toews could return to the lineup in March.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 19, 2023
But out of fairness to other teams, Toews felt his body was not cooperating to compete at a high level right now.
The decision was made by both Toews and the Blackhawks, as the center decided he needed more time to heal from the illness he’s currently dealing with. While there’s no long-term concerns with the illness, and Toews could possibly return as soon as March, he decided that it wasn’t fair to other teams since his body isn’t capable of competing at a high level at the moment.
“First of all, thank you to the fans and all those who have shown concern about my absence,” said Toews in a statement released by the Blackhawks. “I’m still dealing with the symptoms of Long COVID and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome.
“It has been really challenging to play through these symptoms. In the last few weeks, it has reached the point where I had no choice but to step back and concentrate on getting healthy. I am thankful for the patience and support of my teammates, the coaching staff, and the entire Blackhawks organization.
Toews hasn’t played a game since January 28th due to the symptoms he is dealing with.
Toews was considered one of the big names on the trade market this season, as he’s in the final year of his eight-year contract with a $10.5 million cap hit, and the Blackhawks are in full rebuild mode at the moment, and also looking to deal Toews’ longtime teammate Patrick Kane. Toews ranked 11th on Frank Seravalli’s most recent Trade Targets list.
When he’s been healthy, Toews has bounced back a bit this season with 14 goals, 14 assists, and 28 points in 46 games, on pace to easily surpass his career worst season in 2021-22, where he had 12 goals, 25 assists, and 37 points in 71 games.