Whether or not Jonathan Toews plays hockey next season, it won’t be in Chicago.

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said Thursday the Hawks will not re-sign Toews this summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent, marking the end of a 16-year era — and 15-year captaincy.

The Hawks’ season finale Thursday night against the Flyers will officially be Toews’ final game as a Hawk, ending his tenure after 1,067 career regular-season games.

Davidson said he decided not to bring back Toews — or Patrick Kane, for that matter — to create a clean slate for the Hawks’ next core of young players to mold themselves. He believes it’ll provide that next generation the same opportunities to quickly grow into leadership roles than Toews, Kane and their generation received when they entered the NHL in the mid-2000s.

“At the time in our transition and our trajectory, it was time to clear the deck and start building some new leaders and some new names that fans are going to fall in love with,” Davidson said.

“[This will] allow the organic growth of leadership skills and provide this new wave the same opportunity that this past era was granted when they entered the NHL. [It’s] an opportunity to step up, step in and work through the leadership development on their own terms, rather than deferring and just leaving that to someone else.”

Davidson and Toews culminated this weeks-long discussion last week in Seattle, after which point Toews told the Sun-Times he was “taking it as if these are my last games in Chicago.”

Added Davidson: “We can’t thank him enough for everything he’s done. The Blackhawks organization and the city of Chicago will be forever indebted for him for the amazing ride that he took us on. Wherever he goes and wherever he plays next, he’ll be a Blackhawk forever.

“Tonight will be a great opportunity for our fans to show him that appreciation and give him the sendoff he deserves.”

This story will be updated.