NHL
2026 NHL
Trade Deadline
Jets centre Jonathan Toews returned to the NHL this season after years away with his hometown team. Steph Chambers / Getty Images
Jonathan Toews is exactly the kind of player contending teams ask about at the trade deadline. He’s a three-time Stanley Cup champion renowned for his leadership and has been named the most valuable player on Cup champions and Olympic gold-medal-winning hockey teams.
The 37-year-old centre is also a pending UFA for just the second time in his career, while the Winnipeg Jets sit 11 points outside the Western Conference playoffs.
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It makes sense that there are questions about Toews’ future. When he signed his one-year, bonus-laden contract with the Jets, it seemed to combine a heartwarming homecoming with the chance to play for a legitimate Cup contender. The Jets are so far outside of a playoff spot that Toews, who possesses a full no-movement clause, could soon be asked to pick between dreams. Was his decision to sign with Winnipeg more about a homecoming or a shot at a fourth Stanley Cup?
“I wouldn’t consider going anywhere,” Toews told The Athletic during a wide-ranging, one-on-one interview Monday. “I want to keep playing for this team.”
Toews declined to indulge in discussion about his value to a Cup contender, redirecting the conversation to his belief in this season’s Jets. He also rejected the premise that Winnipeg is out of the playoff race.
“I don’t even know that we’re not a playoff team,” Toews said. “Even throughout our 11-game winless streak, there were so many nights where we were inches away from scoring a tying goal or a winning goal or we give one up late, losing in overtime. There were so many situations where all of the little things that could go wrong did … We’re going to find a way to make them go right.”
So Toews is not a mercenary. He’s a Winnipeg Jet and could theoretically remain with the club next season, too. He’s proven he’s capable of contributing to an NHL team — ideally in a depth role — and has been eligible to sign a contract extension since Jan. 1.
“I’m not thinking about that at all,” Toews said. “I’m obviously thankful for the opportunity that the Jets organization and coaching staff have given me to be able to play in the NHL again. It was an adjustment period this year, but I want to keep playing for this team.”
Toews remains close with fellow University of North Dakota alumnus Mark Chipman and former Chicago Blackhawks assistant general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. When it comes time to discuss his NHL future in earnest, the conversation will be full of mutual respect. Those relationships are a big part of what brought Toews to Winnipeg in the first place; they will remain strong whether or not there’s an extension in his future.
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But what does Toews mean when he says this season was an adjustment? How has he balanced having an outsized presence in any locker room with respect for existing Jets leadership — particularly given how slowly Toews started the season?
Toews was an open book about all of those topics on Monday afternoon, starting with what it’s like to be new in Winnipeg after 15 years as a fixture in Chicago. It’s one thing to be a new kid on a team early in an NHL player’s career. As a veteran whose name will forever be synonymous with 2007-23 Blackhawks history, being a fresh face in the room hits a little bit differently.
“Everyone’s so used to being around each other,” he said. “They’ve got their own little stories and history and inside jokes. You feel like a bit of an outsider and slowly get more and more comfortable to just be yourself. Then these guys get to know you. It takes time to build trust on and off the ice.”
Some of the challenges are just learning everybody’s name, from the coaches and players to the athletic therapists, equipment staff and media. Sometimes it’s knowing which door to knock on or learning the best route through the tunnels at Canada Life Centre. After more than 15 years of muscle memory at the United Center in Chicago, Toews has needed to be patient as he builds new habits in Winnipeg.
It was never his intention, but he looks back at his status in Chicago and sees how so many coaches and staff worked around his preferences. He says he’s been conscientious in his efforts to fit into the group instead of expecting to be accommodated by others all of the time: “You slowly earn your place with the group and in the room.”
There is one other way in which Toews’ efforts to integrate into the team are different now than they were when he was a teenager in Chicago. It’s easier for a player to be confident in their voice — and for people to receive their insights — when they’re a driving force behind team success. The Blackhawks made Toews their captain when he was 20 and then watched his presence in their room grow in accordance with his on-ice accomplishments.
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Toews isn’t a point-per-game player anymore or even close to it. He doesn’t single-handedly dominate the flow of play like he did during his prime. How does he build respect in a dressing room that hasn’t been at his playoff-winning side?
“It’s a subtle thing,” Toews said. “You’ve got to find the middle way. I come in here with a ton of respect for (Adam Lowry) and the captains and the leaders in here … I’m not here to disrupt the flow. If you don’t have too big of an ego, you come to a locker room and you want to add to the energy. You don’t want to make it about yourself. If you have the right intentions, you take your time and you’re patient.”
The other side of picking his spots is that Toews started the season slotted in as the Jets’ second-line centre but did not produce like one. He had scored just nine points in 35 games before the NHL’s holiday break. He’s scored 10 points in 21 games since that time, building confidence in his game and his voice — and earning legitimate interest from those Cup contenders.
If he were willing to go to the trade market, Toews would likely be Winnipeg’s most valuable asset heading into the deadline. His games-played bonuses don’t apply to a team’s playoff cap hit, making Toews a $2 million player for playoff cap purposes. His Conn Smythe Trophy, three Stanley Cups and 119 career playoff points in 137 games, not to mention his 61 percent faceoff winning record, would make Toews an appealing third- or fourth-line centre on a lot of contending teams.
Winnipeg will have to recoup assets by a different means, likely by moving other pending free agents like Luke Schenn, Colin Miller or Gustav Nyquist. Logan Stanley indicated to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press that he hopes to re-sign with Winnipeg, but he could also be an asset of interest.
None of that concerns Toews. He signed the contract he did, no-movement clause included, because he wanted to play for the Jets. Winnipeg may have forgone the opportunity to acquire assets for Toews by offering that clause, but management is not likely to pitch him on changing his mind.
Toews’ focus will remain on finding a way to help Winnipeg — somehow — make the playoffs.
“I had enough of not playing the way I know I can,” Toews said. “I really wanted to come back with a new mindset. I can take the puck and go with it and make plays and be a guy who can make the difference in the game, shift in and shift out … Regardless of where I am in the lineup, I’m going to be ready every time my name’s called on the ice.”
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Murat Ates blends modern hockey analysis with engaging storytelling as a staff writer for The Athletic NHL based in Winnipeg. Murat regularly appears on Winnipeg Sports Talk and CJOB 680 in Winnipeg and on podcasts throughout Canada and the United States. Follow Murat on Twitter @WPGMurat
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