Race Heats Up as Four Final Teams Battling for Jonathan Toews, per Darren Dreger

Although he hasn't played since 2023, former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is set to make his NHL return very soon, with reports surfacing that he's set to officially sign a new deal in the league before the 2025 NHL Draft.

While there was set to be plenty of interest around the league in the 37-year old, he has reportedly narrowed down his potential landing spots to just four teams, according to top insider Darren Dreger.

In a recent report, it's his hometown Winnipeg Jets, the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs that are the final teams in the running to land Toews, and with all four of those teams looking to contend for a Stanley Cup and needing a 2C for the 2025/26 season, he would make sense for all of them.

All of those teams can more than afford them, except for Colorado, who would likely need to move out someone like Charlie Coyle to give themselves enough salary cap space to make it happen, but either way, they all make sense.

In his last NHL season in 2022/23, Toews managed 15 goals and 31 points in 53 games played, and even at 37-years of age, he should be able to compete and give a team solid two-way minutes, and given that he's stated he's in the best shape of his life heading into next season, don't be surprised to see Toews as a major contributor on a playoff ready team.