CHICAGO — Things didn't end as hoped for Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in Chicago.
Both Kane and Toews wanted to retire as Blackhawks, "but unfortunately, things worked out differently," Kane's agent, Pat Brisson, told ESPN last week.
Both players are unrestricted free agents at the moment, and are facing different paths.
For Kane, he's recovering from offseason hip surgery and is waiting until the season starts to settle on his next landing spot, his agent further told ESPN. The belief is he'll be back to 100 percent and able to choose from several suitors, ideally among Stanley Cup contenders.
Toews appears headed for retirement. His agent sent out a list of their free agents on July 1 and did not include the longtime Blackhawks captain.
Locked on Blackhawks host Jack Bushman took a look at the eight-year contracts that Toews and Patrick Kane signed in the summer of 2014.
"You can't say neither of them were worth the money," he argues. "These were absolutely two players that deserved to be among the highest paid in the league."
The Blackhawks fell off as a playoff team in recent years, and also had to face the repercussions of the Kyle Beach situation from 2010.
As such, a reset was kickstarted a bit sooner than expected, causing Kane and Toews - who also battled serious illness over the past couple seasons - to end their tenures prematurely.
Bushman argues the Blackhawks would not have won three Cups with only Kane or Toews. They needed both, and it was special to have them signed to twin eight-year deals.
It doesn't look like they'll retire at the same time, though. Again, while Toews appears to be leaning towards retirement, Kane is intent on playing.
Brisson told ESPN that Kane is "ahead in his recovery right now. I do believe he'll be 'the Patrick Kane.'"
"Let's make sure he is 100 percent and that he feels great. Then we can decide where he's going to go," Brisson said. "There's going to be plenty of teams doing good, plenty of teams doing bad. There are going to be teams using [long-term injured reserve].
"We'll pick where we want to go. I don't think too many teams will turn him down."
At any rate, expect both jerseys to be hanging from the rafters in Chicago one day.