The only unit that doesn't change much is Patrick Kane's line, which includes left wing Artemi Panarin and center Artem Anisimov, the prized return in the Saad trade. That unit has been together for the bulk of last season and most of this season.
Toews said it's difficult finding chemistry when the names and faces of his linemates keep changing.
"At times, it definitely is [tough]," said Toews, who has 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) in 45 games. "I think sometimes you look at [Anisimov], [Panarin] and [Kane] … as good as they've been, you don't really remember them for the game they might have been off or they didn't score. You give them some time to recover and they'll get back on the horse and get their offense going. Sometimes it is tough when you have to start that chemistry over."
Since losing Saad, and now Hossa, Toews has dealt with constant churn. He has played with veterans and rookies, grinders and skilled players, forwards of various shapes, sizes and speeds.
None has convinced coach Joel Quenneville to make him a regular fixture next to Toews, and there's no telling when the combination will change again.
"Sometimes it's midway through games or it's a couple times per week," Toews said. "Sometimes, even if I go a few games without scoring or producing, it'd be nice to start to build that chemistry and start to know where the other two guys are on your line. It's no knock against myself or anybody that I've been on a line with. It's about building that chemistry, [and] being predictable for each other. It's just about consistency."
The only consistency for Toews since last season is a steady decline in his puck possession and offensive production.
Despite winning 57 percent of his faceoffs and averaging 20:16 in ice time, higher than his 19:46 career average, Toews is tied for 125th in the NHL in scoring. He also has a minus-2 rating, and if that number stays in the negative, it would be the first time in Toews' 10-year NHL career he would finish below even.
Toews' 51.8 shot-attempts percentage (SAT%) also is down markedly from his career mark of 56.3 percent. His 8.5 shooting percentage is barely half of his 15.1 percent career average.
Those numbers might be a concern when considering Toews' reported charge of $10.5 million a season against the NHL salary cap, but his teammates and coaches don't seem worried.
They see all the other things Toews adds to the mix, on and off the ice.
"Jonny's such an important player," said Quenneville, who hopes to make fewer line changes going forward. "Whether he's productive or not [offensively], his line's always a factor in the game, and we need that line to be important for our team going forward. When they're scoring, it's what we're looking for, and when they're not they usually have their way with the other teams' top lines most nights."
