Jonathan Toews joins hometown Winnipeg Jets in return to NHL

Darren Bernhardt · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 20, 2025 11:57 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Jonathan Toews is coming home.

The Former Chicago Blackhawks skipper and three-time Stanley Cup champion has agreed to motion with the Winnipeg Jets but can't enactment ink to insubstantial until July 1.

"We are excited to adhd a proven victor similar Jonathan Toews to the Winnipeg Jets," wide manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said successful a quality merchandise posted connected the Jets website.

"It volition beryllium a unsocial accidental for Jonathan to play for his hometown team. His talent, drive and acquisition volition beryllium a large complement to our club. We volition withhold further remark until July 1."

Free agents aren't allowed to enactment ink to insubstantial until July 1, truthful the authoritative signing has to hold conscionable implicit a week.

The Jets posted respective messages connected X connected Friday morning, including 1 that said, "Can't judge this is simply a existent station from @nhljets tbh."

Toews, who was calved successful Winnipeg and played younker hockey successful the city, has a sportsplex named successful his honour successful the St. Vital neighbourhood wherever helium grew up.

On Friday, a connection connected the physics motion for the facility said "He's home."

In a connection included successful the Jets merchandise connected Friday, Toews said helium is grateful to beryllium making his return to the NHL with the club.

"It's precise peculiar to travel location and play successful beforehand of my household and friends successful Manitoba. The Jets person been connected the emergence implicit the past fewer seasons, and I'm anxious to articulation the radical and assistance nevertheless I can."

Toews, 37, was drafted 3rd wide by the Blackhawks in 2006 and spent his full vocation there, winning three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013 and 2015), earlier stepping distant from the crippled successful February 2023, saying helium was suffering from symptoms of long COVID and chronic inflammatory effect syndrome.

"It has reached the constituent wherever I had nary prime but to measurement backmost and ore connected getting healthy," helium said astatine the time.

He returned to the Blackhawks' lineup connected April 1, and astir 2 weeks later, the squad announced it would not re-sign Toews aft his declaration expired astatine the extremity of the season.

In August 2023, Toews said helium intended to sit out the 2023-24 play to absorption connected his health, but that he was not retiring from the NHL.

In March 2025, helium announced successful an interrogation with The Athletic that helium intended to instrumentality for the 2025-26 season, prompting speculation among hockey writers and fans astir wherever helium mightiness land. Winnipeg was ever considered a front-runner.

Toews is simply a two-time Olympic golden medallist for Canada successful hockey (2010 and 2014), won the 2010 Conn Smythe Trophy arsenic the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the 2013 Frank J. Selke Trophy arsenic the league's champion antiaircraft forward, and the 2015 Mark Messier Leadership Award.

He's been a Selke finalist 3 different times and been successful 4 NHL all-star games.

Towes besides won the golden medal astatine the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, back-to-back golden medals astatine the 2006 and 2007 World Junior Championships and gold and metallic medals astatine the 2007 and 2008 World Championships, respectively.