Toews to return to NHL next season with hometown Jets

Jonathan Toews is returning to the NHL next season with his hometown Winnipeg Jets.

The team announced on its social media account that Toews, a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks who was born in Winnipeg, is “COMING HOME.”

He is not eligible to sign a contract with the Jets until July 1, when free agency begins.

Toews, who turned 37 on April 29, last played in 2023 for the Chicago Blackhawks. His final game was on April 13 of that year, a few hours after general manager Kyle Davidson said the Blackhawks would not re-sign Toews following that season.

That game completed a two-season span during which Toews was limited to 124 games after Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome kept him out of the entire 2020-21 season and from Feb. 21-April 1, 2023, when he was dealing with the effects of long COVID-19.

Toews became an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2023. He did not sign with another team but also never officially announced his retirement from hockey.

On Nov. 21 of last year Toews shared on Instagram that he spent about five weeks in India for what he called, “a bit of a healing journey.” In December he shared photos on Instagram of him surfing in Bali, Indonesia.

In March, Toews told Mark Lazerus of The Athletic that he wasn’t done with hockey.

"I'm not satisfied the way things ended in Chicago. 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.

“I want to be able to step away from the game having said that I've given it my all.”

And on May 29, his agent, Pat Brisson, told NHL.com he was moving forward with a comeback.

“Yes, 100 percent. Johnny is feeling great and we’re moving forward,” Brisson told NHL.com via text.

Toews, along with forward Patrick Kane, was paramount in helping the Blackhawks get back to prominence in the NHL. The No. 3 pick by Chicago in the 2006 NHL Draft, Toews had 883 points (372 goals, 511 assists) in 1,067 career games with them. He helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015 and was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, awarded to the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in 2010 when he had 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) in 22 postseason games.

He also won the Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the league’s best defensive forward, in 2012-13.

The Blackhawks, in a statement later Friday, congratulated Toews on his return to the NHL.

Toews won gold with Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and 2014 Sochi Olympics and was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players during the League’s Centennial Celebration in 2017.

"The entire Blackhawks organization would like to congratulate Jonathan and welcome him back to the NHL," the team said. "The work he's done over the past two years to make his return is a testament to his resiliency and determination - the same qualities that our fans fell in love with and continue to define him as a player."