Should The Blackhawks Put Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane Together?

The Chicago Blackhawks used to always make teams pick their poison when it came to Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, but now maybe it might be best for the Blackhawks to put these two players together again.

Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are two of the best players in Blackhawks history. They are always going to be remembered together, so with them both heading towards the back end of their careers maybe the Blackhawks should put them together more often.

Toews and Kane know how to play together, and they have won a lot of games on the same line. This past year they spent most of the year separated, but the year before they were together, and it gave Toews one of the best seasons of his career when he put up 81 points. Toews and Kane playing their best hockey is going to give the team a lot of reasons for hope.

Toews and Kane are both going to start making way for the new generation of Blackhawks goal scorers and offensive leaders. A lot of the next generation is already here, and maybe these two should start to form a line that is not going to play half of a game to give the next generation more opportunities.

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We have seen Patrick Kane get double shifted night in and night out to help lift the Blackhawks over an opponent, but that is not good for him and his future. At some point, all of that hockey takes a toll on a guy, even an elite player like Patrick Kane. In my opinion, putting Toews and Kane together will allow the Blackhawks to put that next generation on the ice together and evaluate where they are at.

When I mention playing Toews and Kane together, I am assuming that Chicago finds a way to bring back their key free agents this offseason. Putting Toews and Kane together would not make sense if players like Dominik Kubalik or Dylan Strome do not make their way back to the Blackhawks next season.

If we can bring back a lot of our offensive weapons next season, then Chicago should take advantage of the talent that they have at their disposal and see what these young players can do on their own line.

I would not mind seeing the Blackhawks see if Dominik Kubalik can build some chemistry with a player like Kirby Dach and Alex Nylander, and I really want to see more of DeBrincat and Strome together next season. 

Imagine a Blackhawks team with two solid lines with players like Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome on one, and players like Kirby Dach and Dominik Kubalik on another. Then the third line would still have your main guys in Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. It might not be a few more years before the next generation can step up into top-line roles, but when they do the fact that 19 and 88 will still be around is going to be fun to watch.

Playing Toews and Kane together will allow the Blackhawks to see what other players they have in their system that can lead and score goals. Plus it will also allow for Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to build their resumes as some of the best Blackhawks in franchise history!