(670 The Score) Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews recently returned to the team for the first time since late 2020, when he stepped away to deal with a mysterious medical condition.
Toews revealed on June 30 that he has suffered from chronic immune response syndrome, which caused him to miss the entire 2020-'21 season. He plans to return to action for the Blackhawks in the upcoming season. With that in mind, he met Tuesday with Blackhawks president of hockey operations Stan Bowman for the first time since revealing last December that he would step away from the team to focus on his health.
"We didn't know where this was going or how long he was going to be away from the team," Bowman said Thursday. "But the first and foremost thing was really concern for him as a person and taking the hockey part out of it. He's back with us now. It's nice to see he's been on the ice a little bit. But that's not really my focus.
"For me, that's the big thing, is focusing on Jonathan getting back to feeling great. When the time is right and when he’s able to join our team, we’re certainly going to welcome him back."
Toews, 33, was silent from the time he revealed he was stepping away last December until announcing his return in late June.
The No. 3 overall pick in 2006, Toews has played his entire 13-year career with the Blackhawks. He's the team captain and was a key figure in three Stanley Cup championships. Chicago was 24-25-7 without him last season.
"You realize there's more to life than hockey," Toews said in announcing his return. "But I'm excited to get back to the United Center and play."
Shop for the latest Blackhawks team gear here
With the return of Toews, the Blackhawks would feature just two players from their most recently championship team in 2015 -- he and star forward Patrick Kane.
On July 12, the Blackhawks traded four-time All-Star defenseman and core player Duncan Keith to the Oilers in a deal that brought 24-year-old defenseman Caleb Jones back to Chicago. It marked the latest move of the Blackhawks phasing out from their dynasty run as part of an ongoing rebuilding process.
The trade allowed Keith to be closer to his son, Colton, in western Canada.
"When I got the call a couple weeks ago and they asked if we would consider trying to find a place so he could be closer to Colton," Bowman said, "it was hard in one sense because he’s been a fixture on our team for so many years.
"I wanted to do right by Dunc."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.