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Blackhawks' five-year plan does not look promising to Toews

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Brennen Beaudin
July 26, 2022  (11:08 PM)
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The Chicago Blackhawks have started what seems to be a lengthy rebuild process this offseason, and Hawks captain Jonathan Toews does not seem too excited about that idea.

"At the end of the day, we're talking about a five-plus-year process, according to Kyle," Toews told The Athletic's Mark Lazerus. "So that part of it doesn't sound appealing to me at all. I can't speak for (Patrick Kane), 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."

Many players on the team were not happy with the trades that have been made this offseason and last year, which includes the departures of Alex DeBrincat, Brandon Hagel, and Kirby Dach. Toews was one of those players.

"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," the 34-year-old Toews said. "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. ... 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."

"When we traded Hags, and then Cat and Kirby, reality really set in that, OK, this is where we're at, and they've got to really focus on the future," Toews said. "And it's just unfortunate that it's come to that. But it is what it is. So much of that stuff has been out of my control for quite some time, and it's a weird place to be in as a captain."

Toews could request a trade, as there are already rumors that long-time teammate Patrick Kane also wants out of town. Both players have full no-movement clauses, so any trade would need to be approved by the fan favorites.

thescore.com