Chicago Blackhawks have parted ways with Stan Bowman, now what?

Will Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane be brought back after their current deals expire? Both denied knowledge of the sexual assault, but both were contradicted by former teammates. Toews and Kane denied knowledge of what happened with Kyle Beach and Brad Aldrich as was reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, as well as SportsNet and other organizations. However, so did Joel Quenneville, but the internal investigation revealed that he knew more than he’d initially stated. Quenneville resigned from his position with the Florida Panthers as of Thursday, October 28, 2021.

The reason this is worth noting is that both Kane and Toews are due new contracts in a couple of years. The fallout from this scandal and the fact that a new GM will be taking over may mean that neither player retires a Blackhawk. Should they be re-signed at this point? It’s going to be a question to consider, especially since multiple former players are contradicting claims that they didn’t know anything. Three players, Brent Sopel, Nick Boynton, and Shawn Lalonde have made comments stating “everyone knew”.

Kane and Toews have been the faces of the organization for over a decade, but their legacy may be tarnished by this episode. If they’re still fit to play in a couple of years, should they continue playing for Chicago? Considering everything that has come to light over the last few days it’s going to be a tough decision for the next GM to make.

Ultimately, the path forward isn’t clear for anyone. The situation is one gigantic mess, and there is no quick fix to any of it. Whatever direction the Blackhawks decide to move in, it needs patience and consistency. That’s probably the only way Chicago can realistically proceed.