In the 2010s, the Chicago Blackhawks were the toast of the NHL, capturing three Stanley Cups in six seasons and cementing their status as a modern dynasty. At the core of the team's success was a rare convergence of talent between Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
The Blackhawks selected Toews, a defensively sound, two-way center, at No. 3 overall in the 2006 NHL Draft. They drafted Kane, a dynamic and highly skilled winger, with the first overall pick a year later. They went on to become one of hockey's great duos – each talented in their own right, but undeniably better together.
But what if Kane and Toews had never overlapped in Chicago? Toews might still be revered as one of the greatest two-way centers of his generation, and Kane would probably still be a Hall of Famer. But their joint legacy as the duo that lifted the Blackhawks out of obscurity and turn them into one of hockey's great powerhouses of the 21st century would disappear entirely.
What if Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews never overlapped in Chicago?
Toews alone could have accelerated Chicago's rebuild and provided stability and leadership in the locker room. But without a player like Kane to complement him, the Blackhawks' offense in the 2010s never would have reached its elite status. They might have still won a Stanley Cup, most likely in 2013, when the roster was still fairly stacked. But without Kane's flash and trademark late-game heroics, it wouldn't have hit quite the same.
Kane alone would have supplied the highlight-reel plays, but not the structure this team so badly needed. Without Toews, a shutdown center to match up against opponents' top lines and free up Kane offensively, Kane's development may have suffered. He would still be a high-skill, high-scoring forward, but one trapped on a middling team with little to no playoff success. His reputation would have taken longer to mature, and he may not have been the Hall of Fame shoo-in that he is now.
Fortunately, the stars aligned in Chicago and gave Toews and Kane the chance to develop together – to learn and to win, side by side. If fate hadn't given them this chance, the banners wouldn't be hanging in the United Center rafters. The parades wouldn't have rolled down Michigan Avenue. And two careers, while still great, would never quite become legendary.
