NHL Playoffs 2012: Toews Makes His Return; Blackhawks Now a Real Cup Contender

It was only a matter of time before Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews returned to the lineup.

It's now official that Toews will be in for Game 1 against the Phoenix Coyotes. 'Hawks fans rejoice, your team is now a real Stanley Cup contender.

Toews spoke about his return (via the Chicago Sun-Times):

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These last couple weeks have been really good, and I worked really hard not only to get over this but to feel ready and feel well enough to play a game. I’m really happy about that, and not only myself, but the rest of the guys are excited to go out there and play tonight.

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Sure, the Hawks could have made it past the first round without Toews in the lineup, but any further than that would have been a stretch.

The same could be said for the Pittsburgh Penguins; as talented a team as they have, they still need Sidney Crosby to win another Stanley Cup.

Toews missed the final 22 games of the season with an apparent concussion. In those games, the Blackhawks managed to go 13-5-4 without him in the lineup—pretty impressive considering how much the captain means to this team.

Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa have been shouldering the load thus far, both playing stellar hockey in Toews' absence. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have also picked up the play on the back end, contributing both on defense and on offense.

Toews is expected to play between Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa on the first line. 

But the question remains, will Toews be at 100 percent when he makes his return to the ice tonight?

There is sure to be a little rust in his game after being out for 22 games, it's inevitable even for a player of his caliber. 

But even more inevitable was the Blackhawks failing without their captain in the lineup. The Hawks can only go so far without the services of Toews, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy when the team won the Stanley Cup in 2010.

The Coyotes' coach Dave Tippett even acknowledged the difficulty of playing against a guy like Toews and the high-skilled first line of the Blackhawks:

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The identity of their team is they have some top forwards there that you certainly have to be aware of and make sure that you’re not giving them easy opportunities. But [as far as] how they’re placed and playing together, we’ll just have to read and react as that comes at us.

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Toews brings that gritty leadership into the lineup that is necessary to make it through all four rounds of the NHL playoffs.

It will be imperative that the Blackhawks protect their captain tonight. Coming back from a concussion, it will be important for Toews to be wary big hits. As far as Toews is concerned, the Coyotes will likely go after him, as will any other team Chicago plays in the postseason:

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For any guy that is coming back from any sort of injury, you don’t want to let him feel comfortable out there. I’m expecting it’s going to be even tougher than usual, and that’s the way it is. So I’ll just go out there and play gritty and a smart game and try to keep things simple and make things ­happen out there.

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Whatever might happen in the coming weeks will be up for debate, but one thing is for sure: It is really good to see the Toews back on the ice.

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