Ex-Blackhawks captain Toews eyeing NHL comeback for next season
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While a market does appear to be forming for former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, it does not appear he will be back on the ice with a team this season,
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports Toews is instead focused on coming back for next season after two full years out of the league.
"Very unlikely. Toews isn't planning on coming back this season," LeBrun said on Insider Trading of a more immediate return. "I wouldn't bet against a guy with the heart of a lion, but that's his intention right now, according to people familiar with the situation.
"Now, as far as the Winnipeg Jets, his hometown team, the feeling is mutual, I'm told. If and when he comes back next year, the idea of playing for the Jets would mean a lot to Toews. But there are other teams that have inquired as well, and that mere fact that some teams have called, I know it means a lot to Toews, who wasn't sure what to expect when he announced his potential comeback plans. But for this year, doesn't look like it."
Toews played 15 seasons in Chicago, recording 372 goals and 883 points in 1,067 career games. He last appeared during the 2022-23 campaign, putting up 15 goals and 31 points in 53 games.
The 36-year-old announced in August 2023 that he was stepping away from hockey, but not retiring in an effort to get healthy.
In November, he revealed that he spent some time in India "undergoing an Ayurvedic detox called a Panchakarma" and told GQ in December he was planning to attempt an NHL comeback.
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff told Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press earlier this week that he had previously checked in with Toews and plans to be in the mix when the time comes for Toews to suit up.
"Certainly if he's progressing to that point in time, it would be a real welcome conversation to see if there's a fit both ways," Cheveldayoff said "I think it would be a great story for his career, too.
"Not that he needs another story to his career. But I think he's proud of his roots and would be an interesting fit.
"We haven't chatted in the last little while, but I certainly had some conversations with his representatives with respect to where things were."
Toews, an unrestricted free agent, spent the 2022-23 season playing out the last of an eight-year, $84 million contract he signed with the Blackhawks in 2014 that carried an AAV of $10.5 million. Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson announced prior to the team's final game of the season that Toews would not be re-signed.
The Winnipeg native won the Stanley Cup three times (2010, 2013, 2015) with the Blackhawks. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2009-10 and the Frank Selke Trophy in 2013.