Former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews has announced he won’t play during the 2023-24 NHL season but is not ruling out a return to NHL action later. Toews made a statement confirming the news on his Instagram account Thursday afternoon.
Toews, 35, is currently an unrestricted free agent. Chicago confirmed they wouldn’t be re-signing the three-time Stanley Cup champion before their last game of the 2022-23 campaign.
“My focus is to give myself the time and space to fully heal and enjoy life to the fullest once again,” Toews said. “Along the way, I have met several people who have struggled with health issues pertaining to long COVID, chronic immune response syndrome, and other similar cases that are quite complex. I now recognize the importance of one day sharing the details of my health journey with you all.”
Toews was diagnosed with chronic immune response syndrome prior to the shortened 2020-21 campaign. He missed all 56 games that season. He made a return to the Blackhawks in 2021-22 but was added to the league’s COVID protocol list just weeks into the season. While he didn’t miss significant time, he has since developed symptoms of long COVID, which, in combination with his CIRS, contributed to him playing 53 out of 82 games in 2022-23.
This move is far from unexpected – in fact, it’s more surprising Toews isn’t announcing his retirement outright. Notably, Toews’ agency reportedly left his name off the list of pending free agents when teams inquired.
On the ice, Toews had averaged under 18 minutes per game over the last two seasons for the first time in his career. Since returning from his season-long absence in 2021, he’s posted 27 goals, 41 assists, 68 points, and a -45 rating in 124 games played. He still carried immense value as a faceoff specialist, however, winning draws at a 60.7% rate.
The 2013 Selke Trophy winner will likely face long odds to get back to playing shape after missing two out of four seasons heading into the 2024-25 campaign.