Cheveldayoff wants Jets in mix if Toews succeeds in comeback

Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is intrigued by the idea of adding Jonathan Toews to the club if the veteran center's comeback plan comes to fruition.

"Certainly if he's progressing to that point in time, it would be a real welcome conversation to see if there's a fit both ways," Cheveldayoff told Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press. "I think it would be a great story for his career, too. Not that he needs another story to his career. But I think he’s proud of his roots and would be an interesting fit."

Toews is a Winnipeg native and has connections with Cheveldayoff dating back to their time with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Toews stepped away from the sport to get healthy after dealing with the effects of chronic inflammatory response syndrome and symptoms of long COVID. The illness forced him to miss the entire 2021-22 campaign and two months of the following season. He hasn't played since 2022-23.

The 36-year-old recently opened up about his desire to play again, and Cheveldayoff thinks his first-place club could be attractive.

"There's lots of things to unfold there," Cheveldayoff said. "He's an honest player, he's not going to put himself in a situation ... he's going to want to play to win."

Cheveldayoff added, "These guys don't want to just say they want to play. He knows the standard he would have to be at, and we would certainly hope to be in that mix."

Toews won the Stanley Cup three times as captain of the Blackhawks and has registered 119 points in 137 career playoff games. He would need to be on a team's reserve list by March 7 to be eligible to play in the 2025 postseason.