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What Happens Now With Winnipeg’s Jonathan Toews?

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | By Old Prof | Last updated Dec 20, 2025 2:08 PM ET

I have to admit something straight away: I might have gotten this one wrong. I was rooting for Jonathan Toews. Hard. And maybe that’s clouded my view. After everything he’s been through — the long, brutal slog with long Covid, the hard work to get back on the ice, the choice to come home to Winnipeg — I wanted this to work. Not just for him, but for the Jets, for the city, for a hometown boy who had always wanted to make a difference here.

Toews Is Simply Not Having a Valuable Impact

But, said straight up, it’s not working. At least, not the way anyone hoped. Toews has nine points in 33 games, minus-13. One point in the past 17 games. No goals since November 11. Yes, he’s still solid in the faceoff circle, but the spark, the goals, the kind of plays that used to turn games upside down? They’re missing.

The Toews who hoisted three Cups feels like a distant memory.

I keep circling back to this: he wanted this for two reasons — first, the noble reason — to help his hometown team, to give back. And second, a reason that isn’t really selfish at all. He wanted to be home, among familiar faces, in a place he loves. There’s nothing wrong with that.

But love and loyalty don’t guarantee points on the board. And now, I wonder, what’s he thinking in that dressing room? He knows, we all know, that he’s underperforming. And as a leader — a man who’s built his identity around leading — he can’t be happy with what he’s giving his team.

What Happens Now for Toews and the Jets?

So what happens now? Is this just a hiccup, a stumble after such a long layoff, something he can work through with grit and focus? Or is this a crossroads moment — a moment where he has to ask himself whether he can really add value to the Jets, even to a team he loves so deeply? The answers aren’t easy. There’s pride, there’s heart, there’s history. And there’s a city watching.

Toews isn’t a rental player. This isn’t some short-term experiment. This is home. And when the game he loves starts slipping away from him, it’s not just statistics on a sheet — it’s personal, it’s emotional, and it’s painfully real.

Now what? The answer won’t be simple.

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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