Jonathan Toews catches head coach Luke Richardson off guard with surprising demand

The Chicago Blackhawks have lost seven games in a row ahead of Wednesday action and stand last in the Western division with 18 points in 30 games.

The whole team needs to do better and that included captain Jonathan Toews, who despite being tied with Max Domi as the team’s leading goal-scorer with 10 tallies, approached head coach Luke Richardson with a blunt demand. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared this on how it is important for the captain to be held accountable:

“Cassie Campbell-Pascall told an interesting story about Jonathan Toews on last Friday’s Chicago-Minnesota broadcast. Toews — like all Blackhawks — had some rough moments recently, as the team suffers through a seven-game losing streak. He told head coach Luke Richardson to make sure he was prominently featured in video sessions, not to be exempt from criticism. Richardson didn’t go that far, but he made sure the players knew what Toews had said.”

Toews is not only stuck in the Blackhawks’ rut, he is also continually at the center of trade chatter as the March 3 deadline nears. The veteran forward is expected is take a closer look at his future in the new year. While teammate Patrick Kane is likely to garner more interest on the market, Toews could be linked to some contenders. While interested teams will have to work about Toews’ $10.5 million AAV and no-mouvement clause, there is a sense that the Winnipeg Jets, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche could pitch for Toews closer to the March deadline. The Blackhawks could be asked for another asset to make the money issue go away and absorb part of the captain’s salary.

For now, it looks like Toews is focused on improving his play and his team’s standings above anything else.

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