Toews on continuing comeback attempt: 'I’m not satisfied the way things ended in Chicago'
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Former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is continuing to work towards an NHL return next season after two years out of the league.
Toews, who has been putting himself through conditioning skates in Arizona in recent weeks, gave further insight to his comeback in an interview with Mark Lazerus of The Athletic.
“I’m not satisfied the way things ended in Chicago,” Toews explained to Lazerus. “It’s not about proving anything. It’s just that there’s something left in the tank and I want to explore that. I want to go have fun, have a blast, play with passion. But at the same time, I still have some high-level hockey left.
"I want to be able to step away from the game having said that I’ve given it my all. And I still think there’s something left to give.”
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. TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reported in January that there has been mutual interest between the Winnipeg Jets and Toews, while other teams have also shown interest. Toews' focus has been on a return for next season.
An unrestricted free agent, 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.
Toews told The Athletic that he does not expect the Blackhawks to be among the teams under consideration once he moves toward signing his next contract.
“I honestly do think that chapter is closed,” he said. “I respect what Kyle and the organization is doing. They decided a few years ago to move in a different direction and I’m all for that. … I don’t think that’s a fit for me anymore. I want to go somewhere and have a chance to be myself and play the game. I know my best hockey’s going to come through that way, instead of trying to be in that role where I’m still living with the pressure of our Cup-winning days.
"That era’s over.”
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.