Chicago Blackhawks Playoffs: Jonathan Toews Expected to Play Game 1 vs. Coyotes

Chicago Blackhawks star center and captain Jonathan Toews expects to play Thursday night in Game 1 of the team's first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Coyotes, according to the New York Times.

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When the puck drops for Game 1 in Arizona, he said he expects to be on the ice.

“He’s made real consistent progress recently,” Blackhawks Coach Joel Quenneville said. “Each and every day he feels even better.”

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Toews was sidelined for the final 22 games of the Blackhawks' season after suffering a concussion on Feb. 19, and while he hoped to be back sooner, it wouldn't have been smart to rush his return.

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“I’ve been sitting here a lot longer than I thought I would be,” Toews said. “It’s been tough to battle through.”

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Toews is so important to the Blackhawks' success all over the ice. He's one of the best playmakers in hockey and was on pace to set a career-high in points before the concussion forced him to miss games. He finished the year with 29 goals and 28 assists in 59 games.

Toews is also important in his own zone because of his remarkable defensive abilities and smart decision making. He's also one of the better faceoff men in the game and is able to win important draws in high-pressure situations.

Toews is also the leader of the team, evidenced by the "C" on his sweater. Losing a captain with the leadership skills of Toews is hard for any team, especially in the playoffs when expectations and pressure are risen considerably.

The Blackhawks might not need Toews to defeat the Coyotes in round one, but getting him back into real NHL action will help him prepare for the grind of the playoffs should the team advance to the second round.

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“As a young hockey player, you have a certain level of invincibility where you don’t think that far down the road, but you have to be careful,” Toews said. “The biggest thing I’m worried about is my game is ready to go and my conditioning is there..." 

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When Toews returns to the Blackhawks, whether it's in Game 1 on Thursday or later in the series, Chicago will become one of the top Stanley Cup contenders.

Getting a player of Toews' quality back into the lineup on a regular basis will be an enormous boost to the Blackhawks.

Any time you can add one of the five best players in hockey, your chances of hoisting the Stanley Cup in June go up considerably.

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Nicholas Goss is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.