Jonathan Toews says he’s feeling good about his progress as he prepares for his NHL comeback this fall with the Winnipeg Jets.
The pending unrestricted free agent has been skating since February and March. He’s happy with where his game stands heading into the new season.
“These last five or six months, things have really trended in a direction, since I started skating back in February and March,” Toews said Friday. “Those are the moments where I’m like, okay, still got the hands. The hands are still there; the feet will catch up. Things have slowly gotten better since then. Really happy about where I’m at.”
The Jets officially signed Toews to a one-year, bonus-laden contract worth up to $7 million on July 1. The deal brings the three-time Stanley Cup winner back to his hometown team.
Toews hasn’t played since the end of the 2022-23 campaign because of long COVID. He also missed the entire 2020-21 season with chronic immune response syndrome.
Coming Home
The signing became an easy decision for Toews as talks progressed with Winnipeg.
“It got to a point where I couldn’t see myself wearing another jersey,”
Toews said, according to Winnipeg News’ Mike McIntyre.
The 37-year-old center is excited about the opportunity to wear the Jets sweater.
“You have these moments throughout your career where some things, I don’t wanna say you get jaded, but you get used to it, and you kinda settle in,” Toews said. “This is another moment that kinda brings me back to like, it’s that new feeling, like you’re getting drafted again, you’re a young kid.”
Toews spent 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. He’s been away from Winnipeg for years. But the city where he first fell in love with hockey still means everything to him.
“I think as you grow as a person, you kinda take a little bit with you everywhere you go,” Toews said. “But, there are parts of you that will never change. I’ll always be a Winnipegger through and through. It’s a dream come true to come back and play in front of my friends and family, and be a part of this city once again.”
