Jonathan Toews Has A Deal Ready To Go For His NHL Return

The start of NHL free agency is still over a week away, but it would appear that one of the biggest names on the market is already locked up, and that's former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews.

If you just thought to yourself, "Wait, I thought he retired?" you'd be forgiven because Toews hasn't laced them up in an NHL game since April 13, 2023, but it was announced on Thursday that he will be signing with his hometown team, the Winnipeg Jets.

Now, that deal can't be officially official until free agency begins at noon ET on July 1.

Toews has been battling Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, which also caused him to miss the entire shortened 56-game 2020-21 season and kept him out of all but 124 games over the next two seasons, per NHL.com.

The three-time Stanley Cup champ became a free agent back in 2023 and never announced his retirement, which is a good thing, because now he's coming back and joining a very good Winnipeg Jets team.

According to NHL insider Chris Johnston, the deal will give Toews a $2 million base salary, plus opportunities for way more than that in bonuses.

That's a lot of money for a 37-year-old who hasn't played a game in two years, but remember, the salary cap is jumping up just over $7 million.

No one expects the Toews from the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup-winning era to appear this season, but I think the Jets are looking for him to be a solid bottom-six forward who will bring an additional bit of veteran presence and success to their locker room.

That last bit can't be discounted. While there's lots of talk about the youth movement in hockey, who were two of the biggest impact players in this year's Stanley Cup Final?

40-year-old Corey Perry for the Edmonton Oilers and 37-year-old Brad Marchand for the Florida Panthers.

Never overlook what the "old dudes" can bring to the table.