Former Jets Bench Boss Paul Maurice to Coach in Third-Straight Stanley Cup

Carter Yakemchuk Ranked 26th Overall In Magazine's New NHL Prospect Rankings
When the Ottawa Senators selected Carter Yakemchuk seventh overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, they went against the grain. The young Calgary Hitmen star was ranked as the sixth-best defenceman on most pre-draft boards, and four of the five listed ahead of him were still on the board when Ottawa stepped up to the draft podium to make their pick.
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Yahoo

19 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Jonathan Toews joins hometown Winnipeg Jets in return to NHL

Jonathan Toews is coming home. The Former Chicago Blackhawks captain and three-time Stanley Cup champion has agreed to sign with the Winnipeg Jets but can't put ink to paper until July 1. "We are excited to add a proven winner like Jonathan Toews to the Winnipeg Jets," general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said in a news release posted on the Jets website. "It will be a unique opportunity for Jonathan to play for his hometown team. His talent, drive and experience will be a great complement to our club. We will withhold further comment until July 1." Free agents aren't allowed to put ink to paper until July 1, so the official signing has to wait just over a week. The Jets posted several messages on X on Friday morning, including one that said, "Can't believe this is a real post from @nhljets tbh." Toews, who was born in Winnipeg and played youth hockey in the city, has a sportsplex named in his honour in the St. Vital neighbourhood where he grew up. On Friday, a message on the electronic sign for the facility said "He's home." In a statement included in the Jets release on Friday, Toews said he is grateful to be making his return to the NHL with the club. "It's very special to come home and play in front of my family and friends in Manitoba. The Jets have been on the rise over the last few seasons, and I'm eager to join the group and help however I can." Toews, 37, was drafted third overall by the Blackhawks in 2006 and spent his entire career there, winning three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013 and 2015), before stepping away from the game in February 2023, saying he was suffering from symptoms of long COVID and chronic inflammatory response syndrome. "It has reached the point where I had no choice but to step back and concentrate on getting healthy," he said at the time. He returned to the Blackhawks' lineup on April 1, and about two weeks later, the team announced it would not re-sign Toews after his contract expired at the end of the season. In August 2023, Toews said he intended to sit out the 2023-24 season to focus on his health, but that he was not retiring from the NHL. In March 2025, he announced in an interview with The Athletic that he intended to return for the 2025-26 season, prompting speculation among hockey writers and fans about where he might land. Winnipeg was always considered a front-runner. Toews is a two-time Olympic gold medallist for Canada in hockey (2010 and 2014), won the 2010 Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the 2013 Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward, and the 2015 Mark Messier Leadership Award. He's been a Selke finalist three other times and been in four NHL all-star games. Towes also won the gold medal at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, back-to-back gold medals at the 2006 and 2007 World Junior Championships and gold and silver medals at the 2007 and 2008 World Championships, respectively.

San Francisco Chronicle​

24 minutes ago

• San Francisco Chronicle​

Jonathan Toews is signing with the Winnipeg Jets as he embarks on an NHL comeback

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Jonathan Toews is going home to sign with the Winnipeg Jets as he attempts to make an NHL comeback after a two-year absence. The team announced Friday that the Winnipeg native has agreed to terms on a contract. It is expected to be a one-year deal, though the contract cannot be registered until July 1. 'I'm grateful to be making my return to the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets,' Toews said. 'It's very special to come home and play in front of my family and friends in Manitoba. The Jets have been on the rise over the last few seasons, and I'm eager to join the group and help however I can.' Toews, now 37, spent his first 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, captained them to the Stanley Cup three times and also helped Canada win two Olympic gold medals. Toews joining the Jets fills a void while captain Adam Lowry misses the start of next season recovering from hip surgery. 'We are excited to add a proven winner like Jonathan Toews to the Winnipeg Jets,' general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said. 'It will be a unique opportunity for Jonathan to play for his hometown team. His talent, drive, and experience will be a great complement to our club." ___

USA Today

25 minutes ago

• USA Today

Mic'd up Panthers coach shares NSFW message before final Stanley Cup shift

A post shared by NHL (@nhl) Fourth liners in the NHL don't get a ton of love. Despite being incredibly talented players in their own right, the guys at the end of the bench are typically forced into playing a much grittier game than their teammates. While the top two lines are focused on scoring — and the third line is typically comprised of a team's best defenders — fourth liners are out there to cause chaos, give the top guys a breather and find ways to change the momentum. Panthers Damage Stanley Cup: Trophy to undergo repairs before Panthers parade It's an incredibly tough, rarely rewarding job. Unless you play for Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice. As the clock was ticking down in the Panthers' Stanley Cup-clinching Game 6 blowout, Maurice gathered his fourth line and told them to hit the ice with perfectly profane pump-up speech. Warning: NSFW Language Paul Maurice wanted his last line to be the first to be the first to celebrate winning a championship. That's some excellent leadership there — and a perfect incentive for any fourth liner out there to gleefully take on one of hockey's toughest jobs.