Latest news with #comeback
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Jonathan Toews is signing with the Winnipeg Jets as he embarks on an NHL comeback
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.'
New York Times
3 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Jonathan Toews, Jets agree to 1-year deal: Why Winnipeg, and what's the risk?
By Sarah Jean Maher, Murat Ates and Scott Powers Jonathan Toews' NHL comeback attempt got all the more real on Friday as the veteran centre and his hometown Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, the club announced Friday. The deal will go into effect on July 1. The longtime Chicago Blackhawks captain hasn't played since April 2023. The Blackhawks opted not to re-sign him after the 2022-23 season, and Toews sat out the next two seasons. He also missed the 2020-21 season recovering from Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome and symptoms of long COVID. Advertisement 'We are excited to add a proven winner like Jonathan Toews to the Winnipeg Jets,' said Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. '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.' The kid from St. Vital is coming home. — Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) June 20, 2025 Toews told The Athletic in March he was seeking a return to the NHL: 'I want to go have fun, have a blast, play with passion. But at the same time, I still have some high-level hockey left. I want to be able to step away from the game having said that I've given it my all. And I still think there's something left to give.' 'I'm grateful to be making my return to the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets,' Toews said in a release. '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.' The 37-year-old forward played 15 seasons with the Blackhawks, winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Winnipeg has been looking for a second-line centre for ages and has turned over plenty of rocks to do so. Toews gives them a homegrown bet with three Cup wins, one Conn Smythe Trophy, two Olympic gold medals, a ton of cachet, and a sizable question mark as to just how good he can be at this stage of his career. As a UFA, all Toews costs is cash, so Winnipeg's bet on him as a potential 2C — or as a third-line centre if the Jets run Adam Lowry's line as hard as they've done for the past three seasons — is highly sensible. The Jets will be able to take a good, long look at Toews' ability ahead of the deadline before looking for any additional upgrades. And even if Toews struggles to make a top six impact, he's been such a strong faceoff performer throughout his career that he'll be dependable as a depth option who can be trusted for key defensive zone draws — something the Jets don't often trust their current 2C, Vladislav Namestnikov, to do. Advertisement As long as Toews' health holds, that is. 'Knowing Jonathan and knowing what standard he holds himself to as an athlete, and what impact he wants to have in games when he plays, I think it will be an interesting journey to watch how things unfold with him,' Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said prior to the trade deadline. 'I think it would be a great story for his career, too. Not that he needs another story to his career. But I think he's proud of his roots and would be an interesting fit.' — Murat Ates, Jets beat writer One of the lessons we took away from Florida and Edmonton's success, specifically as it applies to Winnipeg, is that the Jets need to throw more darts just like this one. What they've added via Toews' commitment is the opportunity to fill a hole, with very little cost. If Toews' health fails him — or if, at 37, he's unable to achieve a level of play befitting the Jets' joy at signing him — the downside is limited. Pierre LeBrun reported his contract is expected to be one year in duration, limiting both sides' exposure to risk. It's likely it's a bonus-laden deal, which helps keep Winnipeg's expenditures in line with Toews' accomplishments, further mitigating the Jets' risk. — Ates If Toews did ever return to the NHL, it was a safe bet he wouldn't be with the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks closed that door permanently — at least from an on-ice standpoint — at the end of the 2022-23 season. There was a sense Toews would have kept on playing if the Blackhawks had re-signed him, but general manager Kyle Davidson was commencing a full rebuild and part of that was parting with Toews and Patrick Kane, who had been traded earlier that season. While Kane and Toews are expected to some day have statues outside the United Center, their returns as players would have to come with other teams. For Kane, it was the Detroit Red Wings. Now, for Toews, it'll be the Jets. Advertisement Aside from not fitting the Blackhawks' rebuild timeline, Toews wasn't nearly the player he had built his career on in Chicago. Toews' game fell off over his last few seasons with the Blackhawks, and he wasn't nearly as productive and consistent or as much of a two-way player as he once was. Some of that has to do with his autoimmune issues and long COVID, but Father Time also appeared to catch up to him as he moved into his 30s. The Blackhawks' decline also corresponded with Toews'. He could still be relied upon to win faceoffs, contribute on the power play and penalty kill and would show glimpses of his old self, but his body just wouldn't allow him to reach the levels he once did consistently. — Scott Powers, Blackhawks beat writer
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Jonathan Toews returns to NHL after two-year absence, signs with home-town Winnipeg Jets
After two seasons out of the NHL, former Chicago Blackhawks legend Jonathan Toews is making a comeback. Toews, who sat out the past two seasons due to health issues, signed a deal with the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, the team announced. Toews was in the midst of a Hall of Fame career when injuries struck. Toews missed the entire 2020-21 NHL season after being diagnosed with chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS). He returned to action the following year, but posted a career-low in points. After another tough season in 2022-23, Toews said CIRS and long COVID were still affecting his game. Advertisement That August, Toews said he intended to sit out the 2023-24 season to focus on recovery. This story will be updated.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jonathan Toews is signing with the Winnipeg Jets as he embarks on an NHL comeback
FILE - In this June 10, 2015, file photo, Chicago Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews hoists the Stanley Cup after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File) FILE - Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) lines up for a face off during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes, File) FILE - Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) lines up for a face off during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes, File) FILE - In this June 10, 2015, file photo, Chicago Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews hoists the Stanley Cup after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File) FILE - Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) lines up for a face off during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes, File) 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 the news on social media Friday. Toews most recently played a game in the league on April 13, 2023. Advertisement The Winnipeg native is expected to sign a one-year deal with his hometown team. The contract cannot be registered until July 1. Toews, now 37, spent his first 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks and captained them to the Stanley Cup three times. Toews joining the Jets fills a void while captain Adam Lowry misses the start of next season recovering from hip surgery. ___ AP NHL:
The Independent
4 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Mark Wood hoping to play a part in England's Test series against India
Mark Wood is on the 'comeback trail' as the England fast bowler revealed he is optimistic of a Test return against India this summer. The 35-year-old was expected to miss the entirety of the marquee five-match series after undergoing knee surgery in March, the latest in a long line of injury setbacks. But the Durham quick says he is back bowling in the nets and harbours hopes he could return in the final Test against Shubman Gill's India, which is set to begin on July 31 at the Kia Oval. 'I have just started bowling – very lightly – but I am on the comeback trail now officially,' Wood said on the BBC's Test Match Special. 'I am hoping still to play a part in this series. I am still targeting maybe the last Test. 'Anything before that is probably a bit too soon. The last Test I might not get there but at the minute that is still my focus, that I might play a part.' Wood's ability to hit breakneck speeds of up to 97mph mark him out as an invaluable asset and, if he stays fit, he is likely to be crucial to England's bid to regain the Ashes in Australia later this year. He is among a lengthy list of pacemen currently on the sidelines, with Olly Stone out for the summer and Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson missing the first Test at Headingley, which started on Friday.
