Explain The Direction

While he cannot sign a contract until July 1, the fact that the Winnipeg Jets went bananas with as many images of Jonathan Toews as they could today means that the former Chicago Blackhawks forward is coming home to resume his career at age 37 after leaving the game in 2023. Jonathan Toews will be a Winnipeg Jets forward in 2025-26 based upon all the reports today, and I have no problem with the Jets signing a player of his calibre... with calibre having a massive asterisk next to it. I do have questions about why the Jets chose to sign Toews when they're already struggling to keep younger players due to limited roster spots and why they insisted on giving him an insane bonus ladder. Kevin Cheveldayoff needs to explain how Toews makes the Jets better.

I'll give Jonathan Toews credit in that if he believes he still has something left in the tank to give, he shouldn't be prevented from playing if a team wants to employ him. For as wrapped up in the Kyle Beach story as he was, I wouldn't have made an offer to Toews even if he came and begged to play for free. That's my view on Beach's investigation and Toews' involvement, but we've seen the likes of Joel Quenneville and Stan Bowman welcomed back by the NHL so Toews being welcomed back wasn't that far off. That's the NHL for you.

There's no denying that he was one of the best two-way forwards a decade ago, but that time has come and gone. Toews won't have the same hands or legs he did when he was 25, and we need to be aware of that fact. Expecting him to roll into Jets' camp and take the second-line centerman job from Vladislav Namestnikov seems highly unlikely, so I'm expecting Scott Arniel and his staff to have a long discussion with Toews about being an effective defensive forward and penalty-killer until he can show that he's ready to take a larger offensive role. Defence wins championships, and Toews should look to Steve Yzerman for inspiration if he's going to stick with the Jets.

There's also the medical side of the coin as Toews was dealing with both Chronic Immune Response Syndrome and long COVID symptoms, prompting him to head to India for six weeks for what he calls "a bit of a healing journey" through detoxing. As controversial as some will say this is, I believe the medical community who say there is no such thing as "detoxing" for a normal, healthy person, so Toews might have done nothing but spent six weeks in India away from civilization.

And it's not just one group saying this, but many groups saying this including the NIH and Toronto-based doctors. I'm not here to destroy any of the work that Toews has done to try and solve his medical issues, but Toews could still have symptoms that have merely subsided while he was away from the game. All of this needs to be considered when he dresses for the Jets in the coming season.

On top of all of this, what do the Jets expect from Toews and why weren't his bonuses tied to performance-based incentives if he's supposed to make the team better? In his final two seasons before stepping away, Toews totaled 27 goals and 68 points in 124 games - his worst two-year stretch of scoring in his career. He was outscored by Dylan Strome and Brandon Hagel with both playing less games in 2021-22, and his 31 points in 2022-23 was only a slightly better scoring rate. He's not who he was, so why did Winnipeg sign him?

For a locker room that was as close as it was this season, I don't think Toews will have any problem fitting into that culture. He's a leader, he clearly still has a desire to play, and he feels as though he can contribute. Time will tell if all of those traits come through, but this feels a lot like the veteran, bottom-six signings the Jets used to make every summer with Matt Hendricks, Nate Thompson, Sam Gagner, and Mark Letestu. In a Billy Beane, Moneyball-like idea, it seems like the Jets "want to milk the last ounce" out of Toews who wants to skate in the NHL again. The scene almost fits to a tee based on the script.

Chevy: "John, you're 37. How about you and I be honest about what each of us want out of this? I want to milk the last ounce of hockey you got in you, and you want to stay in The Show. Let's do that."

The only thing missing is the explanation about the money, but I'll break down those terms next. From a player's point-of-view, though, Jonathan Toews will need to be the "old man Justice" for the Jets this season as his contract is heavily-based on the number of games he plays, so we'll see if his body can stand up to the rigors of the NHL at 37 years of age and potentially-serious medical conditions.

If the Jets want to be better, they needed someone who will be productive so how did Toews get away with these terms in his deal?

• $2 million in base salary.
• $550,000 for 20 games played.
• $550,000 for 30 games played.
• $550,000 for 40 games played.
• $550,000 for 50 games played.
• $550,000 for 60 games played.
• $250,000 for a R1 win with Toews playing 50% of games.
• $250,000 for a R2 win with Toews playing 50% of games.
• $250,000 for a R3 win with Toews playing 50% of games.
• $1M for a Stanley Cup win and Toews playing 50% of games.

Forget the playoffs for a moment, but if Jonathan Toews dresses for 60-or-more games this season, he will bring home $4.75 million. There appears that there were no discussions of minimum ice-time played or points scored for the forward - only games played. Unless the Jets are hedging their bets that Toews is going to want a lot of time off or if he somehow rediscovered his 31-goal, 85-point self from 2019-20, Jonathan Toews could be the most expensive bottom-six centerman in the entire NHL. Massive yikes, Chevy.

A few people today suggested that the Jets won't have a problem paying that bonus structure with all the Toews-Jets merchandise they're going to sell, but one has to wonder, based on that idea, if the Jets are in this for money or for a championship. I have no doubt that lots of Jets fans will flock to get their Toews jerseys and shirseys, but this team should be looking for younger, more talented players on the open market if they're handing out $4.75 million contracts. Nik Ehlers and Gabe Vilardi would be good starts.

Outside of bringing home a Manitoba-born kid whose best days in the NHL were over a decade ago, the amount of money the Jets are spending on a seemingly-healthy Jonathan Toews to occupy what appears to be a bottom-six roster spot is inexplicable. I'll be the first one to eat crow if Toews comes in and plays well enough to grab the second-line center spot, but it doesn't seem plausible. For the life of me, I cannot see Toews doing much more than the other veterans over the age of 35 listed above, so I'm tempering all expectations.

For the record, Jim Peplinski left the NHL in 1989-90, and returned to play six games with one helper in 1994-95. Uwe Krupp left the Detroit Red Wings in 1999-2000 before he returned for eight games with Detroit and four with Atlanta while scoring a combined one assist. Peter Forsberg left the Colorado Avalanche in 2008 and returned in 2010 where he played two games and scored no points. The jury is still out on Gabriel Landeskog, but he's 32 years-old, and Mario Lemieux returned after three seasons and had a solid career for parts of five more seasons. Taking two or three years off of NHL hockey and returning shows a less-successful return more than a successful one, so don't get too excited for this signing just yet, Jets fans.

It's a heartwarming story when the prodigal son comes home, but NHL hockey today is business and the main business is winning. Unless Jonathan Toews can come in and provide more than Morgan Barron or David Gustafsson on that fourth-line, the dream of seeing #19 skating freely on the second line and filling nets with pucks will just be another "remember when" story in Jets' lore one day as history will wonder what direction the Jets were taking with this signing.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!