Three-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Toews made waves this week when he expressed his desire to try to return to the NHL.
Toews, who has not played in the NHL since the 2022-23 season, said during an interview with GQ He posted on Sunday that he would like to try to play in the league again..
Toews has made it clear he wants to return, but is the interest from NHL teams and their front offices mutual?
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“The biggest question will be: does he want to play this year or not?” Friedman said. “One of the things that happens is if you play in any other league, you have to go through waivers, which could make things really interesting, but I guess wherever I sign, that’s where I would go. That’s one of the things everyone wonders, Are we really talking about this season?“
If Toews were to play in the NHL this season, he would need to be on a team’s reserve list before the March 7 trade deadline in order to suit up in the postseason.
Timing aside and whether Toews wants to try to return in the 2024-25 campaign, there’s no doubt teams are interested in what the two-time Olympic gold medalist could bring to the forward group.
“I think there’s a lot of interest in talking to (Toews) and seeing what he thinks, I just don’t know how many championship contending teams will want to do this this year,” Friedman said. “That is still to be determined. But people are very curious, there are no doubts about him, there is a lot of respect for what he has done in his past, and if he feels healthy, people will look at him.”
daily clashes Frank Seravalli listed three teams he thought might be interested in Toews’ services during an appearance Thursday on Sports on Prime Canada.
“One of them is the Toronto Maple Leafs – a third-line center has been on Brad Treliving’s wish list all season,” Seravalli said. “The other would be the Winnipeg Jets, Jonathan Toews’ native team. And the third would be the Colorado Avalanche, who desperately needs a third-line center.”
Toews missed the 2020-21 bubble season while recovering from COVID-19 and chronic immune response syndrome. He returned to play 124 more games over the next two seasons, but announced in August 2023 that he was stepping away from hockey to give himself “the time and space to fully heal and enjoy life to the fullest once again.”
The 36-year-old remained out of the spotlight until November, when he shared on Instagram that he had undergone an Ayurvedic Panchakarma detox in India. In it GQ In the interview, she spoke in depth about the many layers of that detox, which included painful massages, meditative yoga, and daily laxatives, among other treatments.
“Toews detailed his five-week healing journey in India, as he suffers from chronic inflammatory response disorder. “He feels better than he has in years,” Seravalli said. “I can tell you that, at this point, Jonathan Toews is indeed back skating, feels better than he has in years, and is also back to his playing weight.”
In his most recent NHL season, Toews scored 15 goals and recorded 16 assists in 53 games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022-23.
