Toews comeback in the works

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There’s no doubt that Jonathan Toews is serious about this comeback attempt.

The Winnipegger and former captain of the Chicago Blackhawks recently posted about his holistic healing journey on Instagram and then shared a more in-depth perspective in an interview with GQ.

Now comes the revelation from Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff that the three-time Stanley Cup winner is drawing interest from multiple teams, including the Winnipeg Jets, Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Should Toews continue to progress on the health front, surely there will be others to reach out to Pat Brisson, as the 36-year-old centre could bring a lot to the table to a contending team.

Charles Krupa / The Associated Press files

Jonathan Toews will bring invaluable experience to the team that lands him in his comeback.

For example, a team such as the Edmonton Oilers, who advanced to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final last spring, could also use someone with Toews’ skillset and leadership.

Is he a sure thing at this point? Of course not. Toews hasn’t seen NHL action since facing the Philadelphia Flyers on April 13 of 2023, so that’s an awful lot of time between games.

Seravalli, however, reported that Toews has started skating again.

Having chronicled a good chunk of Toews’ journey since he was chosen third-overall by the Blackhawks in 2006, there’s no way he’s pushing himself like this unless he thinks that he’s going to be able to find a way to make it work.

Toews is a highly-motivated individual and you can be sure that he’s not happy with how his time with the Blackhawks ended, with both he and Patrick Kane being told they weren’t really welcome to be part of the team’s rebuild.

No team that signs Toews would need him to be someone who puts the team on his back, but there’s little doubt he could at least be a complementary player — and probably more.

The Jets just so happen to be in the market for a second-line centre and bringing in someone with Toews’ pedigree makes sense on a number of levels. He would provide secondary scoring, can be used in all situations and is fantastic in the faceoff circle. Having 137 Stanley Cup playoff games on his resume to go along with a Conn Smythe Trophy is an obvious bonus.

There could be a few twists and turns left when it comes to how this story eventually plays out, but having his hometown team among those in his pursuit of Toews’ services only adds to the intrigue.

Let’s see how this plays out in the coming weeks.


The envelopes please

With the NHL season hitting or nearing the midway point this weekend, it’s time to hand out the NHL midseason awards.

The Jets led the NHL in wins and points as the calendar flipped to 2025 and that will be reflected in several of these categories.

Since there is still half a season left to be played, you can expect other strong candidates to emerge, but this is where things stand so far, as Free Press hockey writers Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre weigh in with their winners.

Hart Trophy

WIEBE: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets

MCINTYRE: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche

There are plenty of strong candidates in this field, but the Jets’ workhorse goalie is making a compelling case, not only for inclusion, but to be at the head of the class.

Hellebuyck has started 31 of the Jets 40 games and leads the NHL in virtually every statistical category. Prior to allowing four goals on Thursday in an overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks, his goals-against average was an even 2.00. Even after a rare off night, Hellebuyck is tops in GAA (2.06), save percentage (.927), shutouts (five) and wins (24).

He’s on the verge of becoming the 30th goalie in NHL history to record 300 wins and more than 40 shutouts (he has 42) and is also the league leader in goals-saved above expected (23.9, according to Money Puck).

Jeffrey T. Barnes / The Associated Press files
                                Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is the front-runner for the Vezina Trophy and deserves consideration for the Hart.

Jeffrey T. Barnes / The Associated Press files

Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is the front-runner for the Vezina Trophy and deserves consideration for the Hart.

MacKinnon, the reigning Hart winner, is making a compelling case to go back-to-back as he leads the league in scoring with 64 points (an eight-point cushion). Sure, he’s got Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar to help his cause, but there’s no question MacKinnon is the driving force of an Avalanche club that has shaken off a sluggish start and once again looks like a Cup contender.

Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers is always in the mix and while he’s still playing at an extremely high level, he dealt with an early injury and teammate Leon Draisaitl finds himself slightly ahead of the competition at this point.

Others in the running include Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights.

 

Norris Trophy

WIEBE: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

MCINTYRE: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

It’s hard to argue that there’s a more impactful blue-liner in the NHL right now than Makar, who leads all D-men in points with 48 and is back to defending the way he did when he won his first Norris Trophy in 2021-22.

Josh Morrissey of the Jets was Ken’s pre-season selection and there’s no doubt that he’s still very much in the running with the likes of Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes and Zach Werenski, who is having a renaissance season with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Morrissey is fourth in scoring among defencemen (36 points in 40 games) and has been leaned on heavily as the Jets have been without Dylan Samberg and Haydn Fleury. Morrissey’s two-way game continues to grow and his inclusion on the penalty kill this season should bolster his candidacy down the stretch.

Vezina Trophy

WIEBE: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets

MCINTYRE: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets

This is one of the easier decisions on the docket — and not because goaltending around the NHL has been poor this season.

To this point, Hellebuyck stands head and shoulders above the rest and is primed to take a run at his third Vezina.

Jacob Markstrom’s move to the New Jersey Devils has been a good one and he’s provided stability between the pipes, with a 2.15 GAA and three shutouts.

Mackenzie Blackwood’s trade to the Avalanche could make him a dark-horse candidate during the second half and one can’t ignore the impressive bounceback season for Filip Gustavsson of the Minnesota Wild (2.28 GAA, .924 save percentage).

Prior to his knee injury, Anthony Stolarz was making a strong case for inclusion as well and it will be interesting to see how he fares once he returns to action. Given how much time he’s already missed, it will be difficult for him to be a finalist.

Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators was Ken’s pre-season choice and while he’s done his part, a slow start by the team that won the off-season has him on the outside looking in among the candidates here.

Jack Adams

WIEBE: Scott Arniel, Winnipeg Jets

MCINTYRE: Spencer Carbery, Washington Capitals

In his first NHL head coaching gig since 2012, Arniel has done an excellent job of navigating things during the first half of the season.

After taking over from Rick Bowness, Arniel has ensured the Jets remain committed to being sound in the defensive zone and he’s helped improve both special teams units — including watching a power play that finished in the bottom third of the NHL last season improve to first overall.

Carberry is very much in the conversation, especially for how his team was able to stay in that Metropolitan race while playing without Alex Ovechkin for an extended period of time.

Ken’s pre-season choice was Sheldon Keefe of the Devils and he’s got his team in the thick of things in the Metropolitan Division in his first season with his new club.

One of our biggest pet peeves with this award is that it occasionally discounts the coach of a team that was expected to do well this season, so don’t discount the likes of Bruce Cassidy of the Vegas Golden Knights, Craig Berube of the Maple Leafs and Paul Maurice of the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Jon Cooper of the Lightning and Travis Green of the Ottawa Senators are also in the mix.

Calder Trophy

WIEBE: Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks

MCINTYRE: Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks

He’s still chasing Ken’s pre-season pick Matvei Michkov of the Philadelphia Flyers in the points race (29 to 27), but the first-overall pick in 2024 has crept ahead by invigorating the Sharks team with his dynamic play.

Honourable mention to Montreal Canadiens D-man Lane Hutson. Mike’s pre-sesaon pick of Logan Stankoven of the Dallas stars has struggled in his first full season, with just 18 points (4G, 14A) in 35 games.

Lady Byng

WIEBE: Sean Monahan, Columbus Blue Jackets

MCINTYRE: Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings

You’ll have to excuse Ken for a choice that is somewhat sentimental, given the horrible circumstances of the tragedy involving Monahan’s best friend Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew.

Monahan exudes the qualities that this award is handed out for and to see him do it with the grace he has shown makes him a natural choice here.

Kopitar, who never seems to age, has taken just one minor penalty in 37 games while also being a shutdown centre who has 39 points. That’s impressive. Brayden Point (31 games, 43 points, two penalty minutes) is right there, too.

Jack Hughes of the Devils was Ken’s pre-season pick and he’s very much in the race, along with Eichel, Sam Reinhart of the Panthers, Mitch Marner of the Maple Leafs and Makar.

Selke Trophy

WIEBE: Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers

MCINTYRE: Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings

There are many strong defensive players in the NHL, but there’s no doubt that the Panthers captain sets the standard.

He was Ken’s pre-season pick and he’s currently the favourite, with Kopitar and Anthony Cirelli of the Lightning under consideration.

 

[email protected]

X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld

[email protected]

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg

Ken Wiebe

Ken Wiebe
Sports reporter

Raised in the booming metropolis of Altona, Man., Ken Wiebe grew up wanting to play in the NHL, but after realizing his hands were more adept at typing than scoring, he shifted his attention to cover his favourite sport as a writer.

Mike McIntyre

Mike McIntyre
Sports reporter

Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer.

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