The Blackhawks changed the fortunes of their franchise when they made the wise decision to select Jonathan Toews with the third overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft. He came in and became one of the greatest NHL captains who ever lived. He was the captain of a team that went on to win the Stanley Cup three times. He was the first one NHL commissioner Gary Bettman handed the Cup to all three times and well deserved it was.
Toews was an elite player in all three zones for the entirety of the decade. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs during their first Cup run in 2010. He would only get better from there in both the regular season and the playoffs. He is going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer for his efforts because of the fact that he had so many different accomplishments both with his team and individually.
He won the Selke Trophy in 2013 as the league’s top defensive forward. He also finished within the top-six for the Selke Trophy Trophy a total of eight times. He is right there as one of the greatest two-way forwards of the decade. He is the second-best player to play for the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2010s and you can make a compelling argument that he was the most important because of what he brought in all areas of the ice.