The Toronto Maple Leafs were believed to be one of the frontrunners to land Jonathan Toews in free agency but now it is looking less likely.
According to Chris Johnston on Monday's episode of The Chris Johnston Show, the Stanley Cup champion center and longtime Chicago Blackhawk, is now only deciding between two clubs: The Colorado Avalanche and the Winnipeg Jets.
The 37-year-old's path back to the NHL has been ongoing for the last few years and now he is finally feeling good enough to return as an unrestricted free agent. After a storied career with the Chicago Blackhawks—highlighted by three Stanley Cups and Olympic gold—Toews faced a daunting setback when he was diagnosed with Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, forcing him to miss the entire 2020–21 season. His return in 2021 was met with further challenges, including lingering effects from long COVID, which sidelined him again during the 2022–23 season. In August 2023, Toews announced he was stepping away from hockey—not to retire, but to focus on healing.
That healing journey took him to the other side of the globe. Toews spent five weeks in India undergoing a traditional Ayurvedic detox called Panchakarma, a holistic treatment aimed at restoring balance and flushing out deep-seated toxins. He described the experience as transformative, crediting it with helping him reconnect with his body and regain control over his health. And that has led him to attempting a comeback.
No one knows what Toews will look like when he returns to NHL action, but the two final teams make a load of sense. In Colorado, the veteran center will be playing behind Nathan MacKinnon and most likely newly re-signed Brock Nelson, in the depth chart. Giving him the perfect chance to just be a third-line center on a team hopeful to take another run at the Stanley Cup.
In Winnipeg, Toews would simply be returning home. And similarly, would be seen as more of a depth center behind Mark Scheifele -- but considering Vlad Namestnikov was their second-line center in the playoffs, there may be more pressure if he were to sign with the Jets to be more of an impact player.
Which makes it all that more understandable if he were to avoid Toronto. Not only would there be more of a spotlight and pressure on him, and despite playing behind Auston Matthews and potentially a returning John Tavares; it was the Leafs' lack of scoring depth that did them in and a 37-year-old who missed two full NHL seasons might not be the one person to entrust to do that. And considering how some other recent old veteran Hall of Fame-bound centers played for the Leafs, like Joe Thornton, we're not sure if either party wants this partnership to go forward.
Toronto is already looking elsewhere with recent rumors that New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad could be heading up north in a trade to address the center issue.
No matter what, it will be an interesting summer for the Toronto Maple Leafs.