Toews, 36, hopes to work toward NHL return: 'I'm going to give it my best shot'

Former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews has not closed the door on continuing his career in the NHL despite last playing during the 2022-23 season.

Toews opened up on his future in a feature by GQ's Matthew Roberson, noting he plans to work towards playing in the NHL again.

"I haven't spoken about this to a lot of people, but it's definitely still in there," Toews said. "I've talked to a lot of the guys that are done, and a lot of them will say that desire to be on the ice competing and to be in the locker room with the guys never goes away. It's just something that you have to accept when your time comes. So there's that, but at the same time, I think there's a big part of me that really wants to give it my all, to get back on the ice and see where it takes me.

"There's a part of me that really doesn't feel like my career is over yet, and who knows what this next part of the journey looks like, as far as getting back on the ice and trying to make a return to the NHL. There's never any guarantees in life, but I'm going to give it my best shot. I'm going to enjoy every step of the way.

"As hard as it’s been at times, I look back now and I’m pretty thankful for it all. So we’ll see what happens."

Toews announced in August 2023 that he was stepping away from hockey, but not retiring in an effort to get healthy. Now a free agent, Toews was limited to 53 games during the 2022-23 season as he missed significant periods of time due to the effects of long COVID and chronic immune response syndrome. He recorded 15 goals and 16 assists.

The 36-year-old forward revealed in November that he had spent time in India "undergoing an Ayurvedic detox called a Panchakarma."

"As some of you may know, I’ve been on a bit of a healing journey. I’ve had many ups and downs, brief moments of hope working with a whole bunch of different doctors and modalities, followed by doubting if things would ever improve," Toews wrote on Instagram at the time, captioning a slideshow of photos. "But I recently spent 5 weeks in India undergoing an Ayurvedic detox called a Panchakarma, and I’m happy to say things are trending.

"Ayurveda translates to ‘Knowledge of Life’ and has been the healing science of India for over 5,000 years. This system views our bodies as delicate ecosystems, influenced by everything we consume as far as energy, information, thoughts, feelings, and food. In short, it teaches that our health can thrive when we learn to simplify our lives, create space for stillness and better align ourselves with nature’s rhythms. A Panchakarma is a healing protocol designed to restore your health by cleansing and releasing toxins stored deep in the body.

"It’s too long of a story to share all the details here, but it’s been almost 5 years of searching for a way to heal the inflammatory and immune system issues that took me out of hockey. The wisdom of Ayurveda has taught me that everything I experience, I am responsible for. Not only did it teach me better diet choices specific to my body type, it has deepened my intuitive relationship with myself and the world around me."

Toews 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.

Toews has played his entire career with the Blackhawks after he was selected third overall by the club in the 2006 NHL Draft. He recorded 372 goals and 511 assists over 1,067 games.