Toews wants more communication from coaches, GM
Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews wants to sit down with general manager Kyle Davidson and the coaching staff as the team's losing streak continues.
"I just think sometimes it helps me to hear their honesty," Toews explained to reporters Thursday, according to the Chicago Tribune's Phillip Thompson. "I just think it helps to have that line of communication, to know what they expect out of me and I know what they need and I know what my job is as a player, as a captain in the locker room."
He added: "It'd be good to know exactly what's going on in some detail to a certain extent. Then I can control what I can control and just go about my job."
The Blackhawks lost their eighth straight game Tuesday, falling 5-2 to the Los Angeles Kings.
For Toews, his team's recent performances haven't inspired much confidence.
"Across the board, the last few outings have been pretty embarrassing, I would say. Regardless of the score, regardless of whether it was a win or loss, the effort just wasn't there," he said, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Ben Pope. "There's no connection in our team game and not valuing what we have."
Chicago made a splash in the offseason by acquiring veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and defenseman Seth Jones, but things fell apart quickly both on and off the ice.
Davidson stepped in as general manager after Stan Bowman resigned following an independent investigation into former Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich's alleged sexual assault of Kyle Beach in 2010. Head coach Jeremy Colliton was fired after leading the team to an abysmal 1-9-2 start to the season, with Derek King taking over on an interim basis.
The Blackhawks have a chance to snap their skid Thursday against the San Jose Sharks.
Chicago sits seventh in the Central Division with a 24-38-11 record.