If you’ve been eagerly awaiting Jonathan Toews’ decision on where he’ll play next season, the wait is just about over, with a verdict imminent between now and mid-next week.
In play, we’re told, for the 37-year-old’s services are the Colorado Avalanche and his hometown Winnipeg Jets. Of course, there could be a dark horse – there always is – but the prominent scuttlebutt on the NHL rumour circuit has the two Central Division rivals as front-runners.
And while Colorado is always an attractive destination, a quick perusal of its centre ice depth makes one wonder where exactly Toews would fit in Denver, as the Avs already possess Nathan Mackinnon, Brock Nelson, Charlie Coyle and Jack Drury up the middle.
It’s a crowded house and usage might be a factor for Toews to choose the Avs, and conversely, for Colorado to risk freeing up another spot for another veteran — hello, Gabe Landeskog — who also hasn’t played in multiple seasons.
Meanwhile, both of those concerns would be mitigated if Winnipeg were the landing zone for both Toews and the Jets themselves, as Winnipeg needs depth at centre now more than ever — especially with captain Adam Lowry on the shelf until at least November and the second-line centre situation a concern for a third straight summer.
For Winnipeg, inking Toews to a one-year contract at a good value – perhaps an incentive-laden deal – would be fair market at this point, while also providing a place where the three-time Stanley Cup champion has better than a puncher’s chance to add one more to his trove of hockey hardware.
In other words, Toews to Winnipeg and Winnipeg with Toews makes sense for everyone involved. It might even provide the Jets with a little more clout when it comes to attracting other potential free agents in the coming weeks – hello, Nikolaj Ehlers.
At this point, Toews’ final decision has been eagerly anticipated. And with a verdict imminent on his future NHL home, Jets fans hope coming home for Toews will be well worth the wait.
