Chevy interested in Toews comeback starting with Jets

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This article was published 21/01/2025 (289 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DENVER — Kevin Cheveldayoff typically doesn’t show his cards, especially as we get closer to the NHL trade deadline. The tight-lipped Winnipeg Jets general manager was willing to tip his hand on Tuesday when asked by the Free Press about one potential target.

That would be three-time Stanley Cup champion and local product Jonathan Toews, who has made it clear he wishes to resume his decorated career after missing the past year and-a-half dealing with serious immune-system issues and related illnesses.

The Jets are absolutely interested in his services and have already had some preliminary talks in that regard.

“Knowing Jonathan and knowing what standard he holds himself to as an athlete, and what impact he wants to have in games when he plays, I think it will be an interesting journey to watch how things unfold with him,” Cheveldayoff said as he sat down with travelling media at his team’s hotel in downtown Denver for a wide-ranging, 65-minute discussion.

“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. 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.”

Not only do the Jets have a need up the middle, which Toews might be able to help fill, but they’re also well positioned to take a legitimate post-season run with a 31-14-3 record that has them leading both the Central Division and the Western Conference.

The connections run deep, including between Toews — who captured his first championship in the 2009-10 season with the Chicago Blackhawks — and Cheveldayoff, who was the assistant GM of that team.

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

“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.”

The 36-year-old centre, who has played 1,067 career regular-season games, recently documented his recovery and healing process which has included a lengthy stint in India that he believes will pave the way for him to make a comeback.

“For him it’s going to come down to getting back skating on a regular basis and getting that level of conditioning,” said Cheveldayoff.

“I think he’s going to have to push himself to get his body to respond and see how it responds. I think there’s a lot of layers yet from that standpoint. We haven’t chatted in the last little while, but I certainly had some conversations with his representatives with respect to where things were.”

Trade deadline looming

Cheveldayoff was fairly coy about what other avenues he might pursue to bolster his roster but made it clear an aggressive approach will be taken by the March 7 deadline. Last year it was a couple big swings in forwards Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli along with defenceman Colin Miller. This time around?

“I think the bigger question is the assessment of the market. Are there the right plugs to fill those holes?” Cheveldayoff said.

“Can you make one move? Can you make two moves? Do you want to make one big move, do you want to make two other moves? And again, who’s out there. Everyone wants to say you need this. OK, if that is not out there, you may have to focus on going at it in a different direction. I think that’s where you have to have that kind of flexibility.”

With core players such as Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, Josh Morrissey and Adam Lowry all have outstanding years, the window remains wide open — and the Jets also have been banking valuable cap space they might be able to weaponize.

Pending free agents

Winnipeg also has a number of pending unrestricted free agents such as Ehlers, Neal Pionk, Vlad Namestnikov, Alex Iafallo and Mason Appleton, plus pending restricted free agents in Gabe Vilardi, Dylan Samberg and Morgan Barron who will need new deals as well.

Last year, Cheveldayoff took care of some of that business by signing potential UFAs Hellebuyck, Schiefele and Nino Niederreiter to extensions and didn’t rule out some similar activity here in the coming weeks.

“I’ve had conversations with them but I wouldn’t categorize them as negotiations,” is how he described the general state-of-affairs with all parties.

Ehlers is the most notable player who could potentially go to another team on July 1, and Cheveldayoff admitted the drafted-and-developed winger is a major part of the present.

“Nik’s someone that, obviously when you watch them grow up, they do kind of become like your kids, so to speak. It’s great to see the career that he’s had and having,” he said.

“At the end of the day, there’s nothing more that I’d love to do than raise a Cup with him. The business side will be the business side. Where that goes… That story’s still unfolding.”

Bar raised

One thing is clear — the bar has been raised, which was evident by the fiery post-game reaction on Monday night from coach Scott Arniel after the Jets opened this quick two-game road trip with a sloppy 5-2 loss to Utah. Arniel, speaking with the Free Press after the game, cut the session short after calling his team’s performance “embarrassing” and “horses—t.”

“It’s one of those things where you set a standard and you preach the standard, you talk about a standard. And if you don’t adhere to the standard on Tuesday, it’s gone by Friday,” said Cheveldayoff.

“It’s one of those things as a coach, you have to nip things right in the bud right away and you move on from it.”

All eyes now turn to Wednesday, when the Jets will face the surging Colorado Avalanche. Winnipeg was set to practice here on Tuesday, but Arniel opted to cancel it.

That means there was no detailed update on Lowry, who didn’t return to Monday’s game following the first period with an undisclosed injury.

“It’s always a concern when you leave the game. It’s not one of those late in the third period, either,” is the extent of an update Cheveldayoff could provide.

Winnipeg also lost a potential call-up in second-year pro Nikita Chibrikov, who suffered a serious injury last weekend while playing a game with the Manitoba Moose and is now out long-term.

“Just devastating. You feel for kids like that when they have major injuries and they’re out for a long time,” said Cheveldayoff.

Winnipeg’s historic 15-1-0 start to this year has been followed up with a 16-13-3 since, which has some fans and pundits believing the Jets are on track to once again crash and burn in the playoffs as they have the last two seasons.

“I think if you look at all the teams they have different points in time where they do go through something like that,” said Cheveldayoff.

“I do just think that it’s about trying to set that standard and hold that standard. The story is going to unfold as the story unfolds. It’ll go chapter by chapter. We’re on chapter 48 right (as in game 48) now.”

Time will tell if this one has a happy ending.

“It’s a group that you want to win so badly for and it’s a group that, for me, when I walk through the room, I feel indebted to them for what they’ve given the organization, the community, and that and I feel that it’s my obligation to try to help them achieve their goals of trying to win the Cup,” said Cheveldayoff.

“And the fans as well. When I’m filling up gas or getting a coffee or whatever, and people start talking, you get reminded many, many, many times over how important the game is to the people.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg