The NHL has officially released its 2025-26 regular-season schedule, and the Chicago Blackhawks will open the campaign on Tuesday, Oct. 7 against the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida

Within five years, Toews captained Chicago to championships in 2013 and '15, the latter when won the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award and an ESPY as the best player in the NHL. At the time, he was hailed as one of the most respected players in the League, with no foreseeable end to his career.

The Chicago Blackhawks have a powerful reason for another last-place finish in 2025-26 as a generational talent could be too much to pass up.

The NHL is a copycat league. It’s a phrase I’ve brought up countless times in my articles, because we’ve witnessed the behavior far too often. When a team wins the Stanley Cup, several other teams are desperate to follow in their footsteps.