Winnipeg Jets Pushing Hard for Jonathan Toews

Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff held his midseason media availability today and confirmed that he would love to sign former three-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Toews.

It would be a real welcome conversation to see if there’s a fit both ways. 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.

The 36-year-old made it known about a month ago that he was pursuing an NHL comeback after being out of the league since the end of the 2022-23 season to deal with health issues that arose after a bout of Long Covid.

The Jets are his hometown team, and he and Chevaldayoff have ties back to when the GM was the Blackhawks' assistant general manager in 2010, where the two won a Stanley Cup and Toews won the Conn Smythe. He went on to win two more Cups with Chicago in 2013 and 2015 while Chevaldayoff went on to begin his new role with the Jets in 2011.

Winnipeg is "all in" this season, currently leading the entire Western Conference with a 31-14-3 record for 65 points, and a good chance at a Stanley Cup run. Adding a leader like Toews, who has won three Cups, a Conn Smythe, a Selke, a Mark Messier Leadership Award, two Olympic gold medals, and a World Cup championship would be a huge boost to the Jets' playoff chances.

When he'll be 100% ready to return is still up in the air, but the Jets want to be a part of it when he does.

“Knowing Jonathan and knowing what standard he holds himself to as an athlete, and what impact he wants to have in games when he plays, I think it will be an interesting journey to watch how things unfold with him," said Chevaldayoff. "He’s going to want to play to win.”

With the Jets, he could get that chance.

Toews has also been linked to a couple of other contenders who could be top suitors for him.