Report: Jets interested in bringing in former Blackhawks legend Toews

The Winnipeg Jets want to be in the mix if three-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Toews chooses to make an NHL comeback.

Toews, 36, opened up about his recovering from long COVID and chronic immune response syndrome at the end of December and admitted that he is working his way back on the ice.

"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," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said via Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press. "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."

Winnipeg has the best record in the Western Conference at 31-14-3 and sits four points behind the Washington Capitals for the best record in the NHL.

The Jets will look to be active at the trade deadline as they look to add depth for a deep playoff run beginning in April.

Toews, a Winnipeg native, would be a natural fit for the club as a player who could add depth down the middle of the ice to go along with his winning experiences during his time as captain of the Chicago Blackhawks.

"For him, it's going to come down to getting back skating on a regular basis and getting that level of conditioning," said Cheveldayoff. "I think he's going to have to push himself to get his body to respond and see how it responds. I think there's a lot of layers from that stand point."

The 6-foot-2 centre 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.

Toews 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."

"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.