The centers are just flying off the board this deadline season.

Then-Canucks center Bo Horvat was moved from Vancouver to Long Island prior to the 2023 All-Star break, and the Maple Leafs pulled the trigger on a deal for Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly (and Noel Acciari) last weekend.

And now Jonathan Toews can be crossed off your proverbial wishlist.

• A career-long Blackhawk and a pending unrestricted free agent, Toews’ removal from the trade block does not come as a result of the Blackhawks completing a trade or Toews making it known that he wants to stay with the Blackhawks, but rather an unfortunate update on the health of the 34-year-old center.

  Last on the ice back on Jan. 28, and absent from the Chicago lineup for the last seven games with an illness, Toews and the Blackhawks have revealed that Toews is dealing with the symptoms of long COVID-19 and will be out indefinitely. As a result, Toews had admitted that he needs more time to recover from the illness and is thus unsure when he will be able to return to action, making a trade an unfair proposition for all involved.

  Toews confirmed his status through a team-provided statement.

• A statement from Captain Jonathan Toews ❤️ pic.twitter.com/tn7CP57bQN

  — Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 19, 2023

• In addition to this being an update absolutely no one wants to hear for obvious reasons beyond just hockey, Toews was in the midst of a bounce-back year, with 14 goals and 28 points through 46 games this season.

  It may not seem like what you’d expect from Toews given his resume, but his 14 goals had already eclipsed last season’s total (12 in 71 games), and he was just nine points away from matching last year’s total.

  But Toews was at the top of his game at the faceoff dot, with a career-high 63.3 percent success rate, which also ranked tops in all of the National Hockey League among the 55 players with at least 700 faceoffs taken. (Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron is second, in case you’re wondering, at 60.6 percent.)

• 

  Nov 30, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews (19) skates against the Edmonton Oilers at United Center. (Jamie Sabau/USA TODAY Sports)

• Diving beyond what he’s done this season, there’s also the allure of Toews one of the greatest winners of this era, as he captained three Stanley Cup-winning Blackhawk squads from 2010 through 2015.

  And in addition to wearing the ‘C’ opposite the Stanley Cup Final patch, Toews has recorded 45 goals and 119 points in 137 career playoff games. That’s the 65th-most points in postseason history, and his 0.87 points per game is tied for the 47th-most among the group of 390 NHLers with at least 100 career playoff games.
  

  Toews, stuck on a rebuilding Chicago club, last skated in playoff action back in the 2020 postseason bubble, and recorded five goals and nine points in nine games for the Blackhawks.

  In other words, that’s one seriously valuable target off the board for a lot of teams.

• 

  ELMONT, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 04: Jonathan Toews #19 and Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks skates against the New York Islanders at the UBS Arena on December 04, 2022 in Elmont, New York. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

• It seems like an especially sour update for a team such as the Bruins, who have been linked to Toews since the start of deadline season, and have a need for a left-shooting center option given the Tomas Nosek uncertainty.

  Toews, who is in the final year of a deal that comes with a heavy $10.5 million cap hit, also had complete say in regards to where he went this deadline by way of his full no-movement clause.

  He also would’ve been one hell of a counterpunch to the Leafs’ moves for O’Reilly and Acciari, two of the better faceoff options on the trade market, and set the Bruins and Maple Leafs up for what would’ve been an absolutely jam-packed and star-powered center showdown in the second round should they both get there.

  How the Bruins would’ve made a Toews-to-Boston trade actually work is pretty much anybody’s guess, but with this being an ‘all in’ kind of year for Don Sweeney & Co., ruling anything out would be a mistake.

• 

  BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 26: General Manager Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins speaks during Media Day ahead of the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on May 26, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

• But it’s also entirely possible that the Bruins have already set their sights elsewhere.

  There’s growing belief around the league’s rumor mill that the Bruins and Blue Jackets have a deal on the table for left-shot defenseman and pending unrestricted free agent Vladislav Gavrikov, but that the Bruins need to make a cap-clearing move before that trade can be finalized.

  Gavrikov, who has been scratched from the Columbus lineup due to ‘trade-related reasons’ for a week now, has recorded three goals and 10 points in 52 games for the Blue Jackets this season.

  It’s believed that the Blue Jackets are looking for a first-round pick, third-round pick, and fourth-round pick in exchange for the Russian defenseman.

Sign me up for the 98.5 The Sports Hub email newsletter!

Get the latest Boston sports news and analysis, plus exclusive on-demand content and special giveaways from Boston's Home for Sports, 98.5 The Sports Hub.

First Name *

Last Name

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.