Blackhawks won't trade Toews due to health concerns

The Chicago Blackhawks won't trade captain Jonathan Toews at the March 3 deadline because of concerns surrounding his health, general manager Kyle Davidson announced Sunday, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan.

Toews revealed in a statement that he continues to deal with symptoms from long COVID and chronic immune response syndrome. The latter caused him to miss the entire 2020-21 campaign.

The veteran forward said playing through those issues was "really challenging," and he felt he "had no choice but to step back and concentrate on getting healthy."

Toews hasn't played since Jan. 28 due to illness.

Davidson said the focus is on Toews' health, not the deadline, per Sportsnet's Luke Fox. The team is hopeful that he can return to the lineup down the stretch.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion has 14 goals and 14 assists in 46 games this campaign.

Toews can become an unrestricted free agent in a few months after playing out the final season of an eight-year, $84-million pact.

The futures of Toews and Patrick Kane - also a pending unrestricted free agent - have largely been called into question as the rebuilding Blackhawks continue to struggle.

Kane was interested in joining the New York Rangers before they acquired Vladimir Tarasenko, but the team was reportedly wary of the longtime Blackhawk's nagging hip injury. Kane said the concern surrounding his health was overblown.

The Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights have "confirmed interest" in Kane earlier this month, The Athletic's Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus reported.

Davidson said he is expecting Kane's decision on whether he'd like to stay put or move on at the deadline "soon," according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Ben Pope.

The executive added that Toews' illness doesn't affect whether the organization might re-sign him or Kane in the summer.