During the first intermission of the Blackhawks game on Wednesday night against the Predators, TSN reporter Darren Dreger appeared on the NBC Sports Network and provided both short and long-term updates on the status of Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews.
Dreger opened with comments about Toews’ status for the remainder of the 2021 season:
“It’s an assumption that Jonathan Toews is done for the regular season. Nobody close to Toews is saying that definitively, other than to say that he is very likely done for the season.”
Dreger pointed to the fact that the Hawks have just 10 games left in the season as part of the reason for that conclusion being made by the people around Toews.
But the most encouraging part of Dreger’s update came next, when Dreger spoke about the long-term prognosis for Toews:
“The good news is that his health is getting better, he’s seen improvement over the months. And the expectation is that, as long as he stays headed in the right direction — the direction that he’s on right now — that he should be healthy and ready to return to the Chicago Blackhawks next season.”
Toews has not played with the Hawks this season after it was announced on Dec. 29 that he would miss training camp and the start of the season due to an undisclosed ailment. The situation has remained largely a mystery, with the team citing respect for Toews’ privacy and the captain himself remaining away from the spotlight while sidelined.
While a mountain of questions remain, this is — by far — the best news that’s emerged regarding Toews situation since that initial announcement in late December.