Chicago Blackhawks: Toews omitted from top-20 centers list
The Chicago Blackhawks captain is one of the best players in team history but he was omitted from the top-20 list on NHL network.
The Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is coming off of a career year. He had the best offensive output he has ever had when he scored 35 goals and added in 46 assists for 81 points. It was an incredible year for him offensively and silenced any doubters that he was on the same level that he once was.
It seemed like a sure thing that he wouldn’t be omitted from NHL Networks Top-20 Centers list for the second year in a row but here we are. He was left off the list and it is a real shame. He was once near the very top of the list annually and now he is left off despite his best regular season offensively that he’s ever had.
Toews is going to have to do it again this year and maybe he will earn back the respect he once had from the voters on this list. Not that it matters much at all because Toews has won everything there is to win and earned generational wealth throughout his career. The competitor in him might see this list and feel slighted and feel the need to try and even be better, which would be good news for Chicago Blackhawks fans.
There is a reason to believe that Toews will have Patrick Kane on his line once again this season. Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome have taken over the second line and given the Blackhawks the option to run a Toews and Kane line and it is fun to watch. If this is the case again in 2019-20, expect Toews to repeat what he did last year. It didn’t all transfer to an offensive game for him either, his advanced statistics are still very good in all three zones.
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His possession entry and exits are all at elite percents and show that he is still one of the best two-way centers in the game. The Blackhawks need Toews to repeat his game from last season on both ends of the ice in order for them to be anywhere near the playoffs. It is just a meaningless list released by NHL Network but Toews is a top-20 center and should be recognized as such.