{"id":447442,"date":"2025-12-14T23:23:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T23:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/447442\/"},"modified":"2025-12-14T23:23:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T23:23:13","slug":"jonathan-toews-return-has-become-a-costly-miscalculation-for-the-winnipeg-jets-the-hockey-writers-winnipeg-jets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/447442\/","title":{"rendered":"Jonathan Toews\u2019 Return Has Become a Costly Miscalculation for the Winnipeg Jets – The Hockey Writers – Winnipeg Jets"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the Winnipeg Jets<\/a> signed Jonathan Toews<\/a> last summer, it felt like a rare win-win, except maybe for the budget. It hit all the right notes: emotional, local, symbolic. Winnipeg was bringing home a hometown hero, a three-time Stanley Cup champ, the ex-captain of the Chicago Blackhawks<\/a>, and a respected leader.<\/p>\n

Related: Comrie\u2019s Tenure As Jets Starter Has Been Disastrous<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

For a team that\u2019s often had issues with its image and leadership, Toews seemed like the ideal fix. He was supposed to steady the second line, guide the younger guys, and bring a winning attitude to the locker room. No one expected him to be a superstar again, but he was supposed to still be good.<\/p>\n

Now, 30 games into the season, that hope is gone. What was supposed to be a great story has turned into a stark reminder that good vibes don\u2019t win games. The Jets didn\u2019t just get Toews\u2019 fit wrong<\/a> \u2014 they were wrong about whether he could still play at this level.<\/p>\n

A Story That Looked Perfect on Paper<\/p>\n

At the time, signing Toews made sense. Yeah, he\u2019d been out for two whole seasons due to an illness, but everyone said his return to the NHL would be chill, focusing on his health and taking things slow. Winnipeg wasn\u2019t just hoping to fix him up; they thought they were getting a solid centre who could still play smart, all-around hockey.<\/p>\n

For ages, the Jets had been trying to find a good second-line centre. Toews was supposed to be the answer without having to trade anyone or give up future players. The plan was to put him behind Mark Scheifele, protect his playing time, give him some decent wingers, and let his smarts and experience handle the rest.<\/p>\n

But the reality? It\u2019s been a shock.<\/p>\n

The Results Are Impossible to Ignore<\/p>\n

The Jets have already racked up 15 regulation losses<\/a> after just 30 games. They didn\u2019t hit that many losses until late January last year. Toews has had some long stretches without scoring, like a 14-game slump. He\u2019s been scoreless in 22 games total and, unfortunately, he\u2019s leading the team in plus\/minus, but in a bad way, with a minus-13.<\/p>\n

\"JonathanJonathan Toews, Winnipeg Jets (Terrence Lee-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t just a little slump or a fluke. It suggests he\u2019s having a tough time keeping up in today\u2019s NHL.<\/p>\n

A lot of nights, Toews seems to disappear on the ice. When he does get noticed, it\u2019s often because he\u2019s too slow, late getting back on defence, or can\u2019t recover after a turnover. He\u2019s still smart on the ice, but he\u2019s lost his speed and can\u2019t execute like he used to.<\/p>\n

The NHL in 2025 is super competitive. Teams play faster, pressure hard, and pounce on any hesitation. Toews\u2019 weaknesses are becoming obvious in ways they weren\u2019t before.<\/p>\n

Leadership Can\u2019t Replace Production<\/p>\n

People who like Toews will quickly say he\u2019s a leader, acts like a pro, and has worth in the locker room \u2014 and that\u2019s true. The Jets\u2019 owners, managers, and coaches always say good things about his attitude and wanting to teach younger players.<\/p>\n

But just being a leader isn\u2019t enough to be on the team \u2014 especially to actually play. At some point, what he does on the ice has to be almost as good as what he does off the ice.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not right now.<\/p>\n

The Jets aren\u2019t rebuilding, so they can\u2019t wait around. They\u2019re a team that might make the playoffs but are trying to stay important in a West that\u2019s getting harder and harder. Each spot on the team is important. Every minute counts. Having a player who can\u2019t make plays, score, or defend well when it\u2019s five-on-five hurts the team\u2019s chances of winning.<\/p>\n

The Speed Problem Is Real<\/p>\n

Being away from the NHL for two whole seasons is a long time, especially when you\u2019re over 35. If you also have ongoing health problems, there\u2019s really no room for mistakes. Toews might still understand the game really well, but his body can\u2019t keep up anymore.<\/p>\n

The Jets play slower when he\u2019s out there. Getting out of their zone takes longer. Their forechecks aren\u2019t as aggressive. Instead of predicting what will happen on defence, they just react. These small problems add up during a game, and it\u2019s obvious when you look at the standings.<\/p>\n

Opportunity Cost Matters<\/p>\n

The worst thing about the Toews situation isn\u2019t just how he\u2019s playing, but what it\u2019s costing the Jets in other areas.<\/p>\n

Every time Toews is on the ice, it\u2019s a chance lost for a younger, quicker player. A guy like Parker Ford could really use those NHL games to get better. Instead, the Jets are giving a veteran priority, even though we know how good he can be at best.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t about disrespecting what Toews has done. It\u2019s about being real about the team and what it needs to win.<\/p>\n

The Jets can\u2019t let feelings get in the way if they want to make the playoffs.<\/p>\n

\"SUBSCRIBE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cGame 83\u201d Doesn\u2019t Matter If You Don\u2019t Get There<\/p>\n

A standard argument for Toews is that he really shines in the playoffs \u2014 that his experience is super valuable when it matters most. But that falls apart when you think about it.<\/p>\n

You gotta make the playoffs first!<\/p>\n

Right now, Toews isn\u2019t helping the Jets get there. In fact, he might be making it harder because the lineup isn\u2019t as fast, consistent, or able to score. Counting on some possible playoff bump while losing games now is risky, especially when the team is already struggling to stay in the race.<\/p>\n

A Tough but Necessary Conclusion<\/p>\n

Toews\u2019 return to hockey is a feel-good story, no doubt. His fight through those health issues is super admirable, and what he\u2019s done in his career speaks for itself.<\/p>\n

But feel-good stories don\u2019t win games.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s pretty obvious now that signing Toews hasn\u2019t panned out for the Jets. It\u2019s not about effort or leadership; the game has just moved on. The time off, the lost speed, and what his body\u2019s been through have been too much to come back from.<\/p>\n

So, Winnipeg has a tough call to make. They need to decide if sticking with a nice story is worth hurting their chances of winning. If they want to win and get to the playoffs, they have to make some tough choices, even when it involves a local favourite.<\/p>\n

Trying the Toews thing was worth a shot.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s time to admit it hasn\u2019t worked out.<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When the Winnipeg Jets signed Jonathan Toews last summer, it felt like a rare win-win, except maybe for…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":447443,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[97987,293,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-447442","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-jonathan-toews","9":"tag-nhl","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-united-states","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115720500950713774","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=447442"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447442\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/447443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=447442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=447442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=447442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}