Toews looks to refresh, boost strength with a few extra days off

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews wasn't quite sure how to feel about the NHL deciding to temporarily pause its season due to a spike in COVID cases across the league.

On one hand, it's going to wreak havoc with the schedule and likely doom the players' participation in the Winter Olympics. (Multiple reports, citing sources with direct knowledge, said the league and the NHL's Players Association agreed Tuesday not to go to Beijing, and that an official announcement could come Wednesday.)

On the other, it will give players the opportunity to rest and come back stronger after the Christmas break.

For sure, it can be difficult to pick a lane.

"It wasn't hard to predict this type of situation, with teams having numerous guys test positive," Toews said after the Hawks practiced Tuesday at Fifth Third Arena. "It's just unfortunate the way we agreed and decided upon how to go about it. It just throws everything into a huge mess with our schedule.

"That being said, for me personally, it's definitely a relief. It's nice to get a few days ... and get myself in better condition going forward for the rest of the season."

Fifty games across the NHL have been postponed. Three of those involved the Hawks at home: Dec. 13 against Calgary, Tuesday against Florida and Thursday vs. Dallas.

The teams hardest hit have been Ottawa (6 games postponed), Calgary (6) and Nashville (5). Eight teams have had four games called off. Vegas has been the most fortunate, with just one game canceled.

The Hawks' only player in COVID protocol is defenseman Calvin de Haan. Interim coach Derek King said he trusts everyone to take the necessary precautions the next week so they can come back healthy and ready to go.

"They're adults, right?" King said. "I just told them to follow the protocols, enjoy your time with your family, be safe. ... I can't babysit all these guys. They're smart enough to know to be wise about it."

The Hawks' next four games are at home against Columbus on Dec. 28, at Winnipeg Dec. 29, at Nashville Jan. 1 and at home against Calgary Jan. 2. If cross-border travel remains an issue it could force the games against the Jets and Flames to be called off.

The NHL is fortunate that in February there's a three-week break in the schedule because players are supposed to represent their countries and play in the Beijing Olympics. Now it looks like that will not happen.

"Players are going to put their own health ... (and) their own club's situation as priorities ahead of going to Beijing and dealing with some very unpredictable scenarios," Toews said. "To me, that's the right way to go about it."

The likely reversal has to be tough on Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat and Seth Jones - all of whom figured to represent the United States.

"I'm 33 so you're hoping you can play as many as possible," said Kane, "but I don't know if it would've really been a true Olympics experience this year with being in a bubble and with all the worries going over there. ... I don't think the Olympic experience will be even close to comparable to what we had (in Sochi) in 2010."

"We'll see what happens, but you always want to represent your country every time you get a chance. Felt like I would've had the chance to be in a leadership role this year, so it would've been fun to play with a lot of younger players and some great players around the league."

As for the Hawks, 11-15-4 overall and 10-6-2 under King, it would help if Toews and Kane came back and played at a level befitting their $10.5 million salary cap hits.

Toews admitted this season's been a grind but is happy he's managed to score 3 goals in the last five games after not scoring in the first 25.

Kane, meanwhile, lamented the fact he hasn't been able to take advantage of some prime scoring chances lately. One came when he had a 2-on-0 breakaway in overtime during the Hawks' 4-3 loss Saturday at Dallas. He lost the puck and the Stars went on to victory.

Kane has 2 goals in the last 19 games and 7 on the season.

"My finishing touch has abandoned me (lately) and I'm maybe overthinking it a bit," Kane said. "Just got to play on instinct, trust yourself. I feel good shooting in practice; my body feels good. ...

"Just try to battle it out here and hopefully when you come back from the break, just kind of get hot. The team's playing really well, so if I can start doing what I do best and creating and scoring and taking advantage of my chances, it'll help us down the stretch."