After two full seasons away from professional hockey, Jonathan Toews will officially join his hometown team for the 2025-26 NHL season. The three-time Stanley Cup champion signed a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets earlier this week.

As The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported on Saturday, the Jets were the frontrunners to add Toews from the get-go, although the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens were among the 15 teams that spoke with his agent Pat Brisson.

Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff explained to LeBrun why Toews will be a good fit in Manitoba next season.

“When it comes to fitting into the lineup, this is more about where he will finish than where he will start,” said the longtime executive. “His contributions will grow as he becomes more comfortable with his surroundings. Every year, a team has to find out who they are and what each player brings to the collective group. That’s why each season brings a new challenge and what drives each individual player.

“In today’s game, it’s not about jumping over the boards first, second or third. It’s about how you influence the people around you when you are out there. JT could have chosen to just sit on the sidelines and watch time pass by, but he has chosen to embrace the new challenge of working with a group of guys to achieve something special.”

Jonathan Toews has played entire career with Blackhawks

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The newest Jets forward has never played for a team that isn't the Chicago Blackhawks, a place where he won three championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015. The 37-year-old played 53 regular season games in 2022-23, managing 15 goals and 31 points in that span.

The former University of North Dakota Fighting Hawk will look to help the Jets get over the hump in 2025-26; Winnipeg was defeated by the Dallas Stars in six games in the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“If all goes well, and Toews rediscovers some of his old form after not playing for two and a half years, he could be the second-line center on a team that has one of the very best third-line centers in the league in Adam Lowry (when he’s healthy again),” wrote LeBrun on Saturday.

Regardless of how Toews performs while shaking off the rust, hockey fans will just be thrilled to see one of the greatest hockey players of all time back on the ice again come October.