Toews to Toronto Dream is Dead: LeBrun Reveals Stunning Truth – Leafs Fans Left Heart Broken
Adding Jonathan Toews as a third-line centre is an intriguing idea for a Toronto Maple Leafs lineup that desperately needs help up the middle this season, but it doesn’t sound like that’s going to be an option.
According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, while Toews is considering coming back to the NHL, it won’t be this season. LeBrun reports that Toews is on the comeback trail, with a focus on starting fresh for the 2025-26 season.
Toews stated to GQ’s Matthew Roberson in December that while he did step away from the game for health reasons, he hasn’t necessarily closed the door for good. “I haven’t spoken about this to a lot of people, but it’s definitely still in there,” stated Toews in the Dec.29, 2024 report.
“There’s a part of me that really doesn’t feel like my career is over yet, and who knows what this next part of the journey looks like, as far as getting back on the ice and trying to make a return to the NHL. There are never any guarantees in life, but I’m going to give it my best shot. I’m going to enjoy every step of the way.”
Toews, who will be 37 in April, last appeared in action during the 2022-23 season with the Chicago Blackhawks, registering 31 points in 53 games. His decorated resume speaks for itself, and with multiple Stanley Cups and 119 points in 137 Stanley Cup Playoff games, along with the Maple Leafs, multiple contenders would love to add the future hall-of-famer to their lineup.
Considering the inconsistencies of Max Domi this season, and an ideal world of adding a middle-six centre in Toronto, the news of Toews focusing on next season for his comeback is unfortunate for the Maple Leafs, but not something that should drastically alter GM Brad Treliving’s plans. He will now shift his attention back to the trade market ahead of the March 7 deadline, and with very limited cap space to work with this season, he will need to be very creative to fill a couple of holes throughout Toronto’s lineup.
