Avalanche linked to three-time Stanley Cup champion forward
Jan 3, 2025, 2:06 PM
One of the most accomplished hockey players of his generation could make a comeback with the Colorado Avalanche, according to a report from a big-time NHL Insider.
Former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews hasn’t played in about two years but is eyeing a return to the NHL after a late 2024 trip to India where he underwent a five-week detox through alternative medicine. The 36-year-old left the league to battle chronic inflammatory response syndrome and symptoms of long COVID, which had already forced him to miss the entire 2020-21 season and two months of the 2022-23 season. Toews hasn’t played since that season when he recorded 15 goals and 16 assists in 53 games for the Blackhawks. But he recently spoke with GQ’s Matthew Roberson about his hope to return to the NHL.
That conversation has spurred an interest in the three-time Stanley Cup winner with a trio of teams standing out. Frank Seravalli reports that the Toentoro Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche are worth keeping an eye on if the former Hawks captain can make a return. However, it’s unknown if Toews will try to play this season or would hold off until next. In order to be playoff-eligible he needs to be on that team’s roster by the trade deadline on March 7.
An update on Jonathan Toews potential comeback bid tonight on @SportsOnPrimeCA:pic.twitter.com/LUKrSaOAih
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) January 3, 2025
Toews is a six-time All-Star, recording 883 points in 1,067 career games, plus another 119 points in 137 postseason contests. Toews captained the Blackhawks to Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013, and 2015, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2010. He also won gold with Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, 2014 Sochi Olympics, and 2016 World Cup of Hockey. He is the youngest member of the Triple Gold Club, which includes his World Championship gold for Canada in 2007.
The Avs could definitely use another center to fill out their roster and Toews experience wouldn’t hurt either since captain Gabriel Landeskog own injury battle remains an unknown.
