{"id":326012,"date":"2025-12-05T01:20:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T01:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/326012\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T01:20:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T01:20:13","slug":"toews-not-earning-raves-winnipeg-free-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/326012\/","title":{"rendered":"Toews not earning raves \u2013 Winnipeg Free Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

MONTREAL \u2014 Jonathan Toews held court with a mass of mostly French-speaking reporters inside the Winnipeg Jets\u2019 cramped Bell Centre locker room on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n

It was an impressive display from the veteran centre, who delivered thoughtful, insightful answers in both official languages. He spoke about the thrill of playing in La belle province, where much of his mother\u2019s family still lives, and his hope that the visit might help spark something for him and his struggling teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of history here in this city. It will be exciting,\u201d he said of facing the Habs.<\/p>\n

A few hours later, the Jets dropped their 10th game in their last 14 outings \u2014 a 3-2 shootout loss<\/a> \u2014 with Toews posting a familiar, frustrating stat line: 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points.<\/p>\n

It marked the ninth time in the past 10 contests the 37-year-old was held off the scoresheet, with a secondary assist last Saturday in Nashville<\/a> the lone exception.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"LINDSEY
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

LINDSEY WASSON \/ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Winnipeg Jets centre Jonathan Toews (19) chases Seattle Kraken\u2019s Matty Beniers up the ice. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Jets have been outscored 20-8 at even strength with Toews on the ice this season.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Toews hasn\u2019t scored since Remembrance Day. The three-time Stanley Cup champion currently shares the same offensive totals as much-maligned depth defenceman Logan Stanley: 26 games, three goals, six assists.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also a team-worst minus-12, meaning he\u2019s been on the ice for plenty of goals going the wrong direction.<\/p>\n

The underlying numbers aren\u2019t any kinder. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Jets have been outscored 20-8 at even strength with Toews on the ice this season.<\/p>\n

His expected-goals percentage, which measures quality of chances, sits at just 42.18 per cent. In other words, opponents are generating 57.82 per cent of the expected offence when he\u2019s out there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big thing to JT is it\u2019s all new to him right now\u2026 and he\u2019s the first to admit the league is even faster than when he left it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some perspective: Of the 236 NHL players with equal or greater even-strength ice time this season, Toews ranks 235th in goals-for percentage.<\/p>\n

Only Calgary Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar is worse, having been outscored 35-11 (23.91 per cent). Toews sits at 28.57 per cent and ranks 231st in expected-goals percentage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big thing to JT is it\u2019s all new to him right now. It\u2019s been a couple years, and he\u2019s the first to admit the league is even faster than when he left it,\u201d Jets head coach Scott Arniel said prior to puck drop on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

As he has each time the subject comes up, Arniel praised Toews\u2019 wisdom and experience and expressed hope that those qualities will eventually pay off for a Winnipeg team with Stanley Cup aspirations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know offensively the numbers aren\u2019t there. For him, we\u2019ve talked about it, this isn\u2019t a 10-game, 20-game, 30-game thing. This is about building towards the 82nd game and the playoffs,\u201d said Arniel.<\/p>\n

The issue, of course, is Winnipeg must actually qualify for the 16-team tournament first \u2014 and right now that is far from certain. A lack of production beyond the top line is among the biggest culprits.<\/p>\n

Fairly or not, that puts a big spotlight on Toews, whose free-agent signing by his hometown team was met with massive organizational fanfare<\/a>, including a glitzy introductory news conference attended by family, friends, fans and even local politicians.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"DARRYL
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

DARRYL DYCK \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Winnipeg Jets centre Jonathan Toews\u2019 last goal came on November 11 against the Vancouver Canucks. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

One of Winnipeg\u2019s many problems is they immediately slotted Toews as their second-line centre out of training camp. But his nine points simply haven\u2019t matched the demands of that role.<\/p>\n

For context, we reviewed what every other 2C in the NHL has done this year. There are some elite ones, such as Wyatt Johnston of Dallas (31 points), Leon Draisaitl of Edmonton (31), John Tavares of Toronto (29) and Evgeni Malkin of Pittsburgh (26) leading the way.<\/p>\n

Emerging stars like Logan Cooley of Utah (23), Dawson Mercer of New Jersey (21), Mason McTavish of Anaheim (19), Quinton Byfield of Los Angeles (19), Frank Nazar of Chicago (18), Pavel Zacha of Boston (18) and Dylan Cozens of Ottawa (16) have also thrived.<\/p>\n

There are also proven vets such as Nazem Kadri of Calgary (22), Tomas Hertl of Vegas (20), Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders (18), Brock Nelson of Colorado (17), Joel Eriksson Ek of Minnesota (16), Sean Couturier of Philadelphia (16) who are getting the job done, too.<\/p>\n

Connor McMichael of Washington (15), Erik Haula of Nashville (15) Ryan McLeod of Buffalo (14), Oliver Kapanen of Montreal (14), Alex Wennberg of San Jose (13), Sean Monahan of Columbus (13), Sam Bennett of Florida (12), Pius Suter of St. Louis (12), Vincent Trochek of the New York Rangers (12), Shane Wright of Seattle (11) and Logan Stankoven of Carolina (11) round out the field.<\/p>\n

The only club getting less production from its 2C than Winnipeg is the 30th-place Vancouver Canucks, who have auditioned several options with no success. Current placeholder David Kampf has zero points in seven games.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t a 10-game, 20-game, 30-game thing. This is about building towards the 82nd game and the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Detroit, using former Jet Andrew Copp, has also received nine points (1G, 8A) in the role. We excluded Tampa Bay, as Nick Paul recently returned from injury but already has five points in seven games.<\/p>\n

Misery loves company, and Toews is far from the only Jet scuffling right now. The list is long, with virtually every forward outside of the Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi line mired in a major funk.<\/p>\n

Toews has also cycled through a rotating cast of wingers \u2014 some due to injury, others due to performance \u2014 and nothing has truly clicked.<\/p>\n

You can see the frustration Toews is feeling on the ice, where there\u2019s been plenty of stick slams and audible curse words heard as he makes his way back to the bench in recent games following shifts.<\/p>\n

And you can hear it in his voice \u2014 whether in French or in English \u2014 as he speaks with media.<\/p>\n

A three-time Cup champion with countless international medals isn\u2019t accustomed to this kind of struggle.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get to a certain point and you\u2019re waiting for a bounce, waiting for things to go your way, to give you the energy to get over the hump, and that\u2019s not really how it works,\u201d Toews said Wednesday, while also expressing optimism his fortunes might be about to change.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try my best to improve my game, I think it\u2019s getting better. Each game I\u2019m getting chances.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"KARL
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

KARL DEBLAKER \/ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Winnipeg Jets centre Jonathan Toews is a team-worst minus-12 so far this season, meaning he\u2019s been on the ice for plenty of goals going the wrong direction.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also an off-ice adjustment phase still underway. The man known as \u201cCaptain Serious\u201d is no longer steering the ship or wearing a letter, ceding leadership on his new team to captain Adam Lowry \u2014 who called a closed-door meeting after Monday\u2019s blowout loss in Buffalo \u2014 along with alternates Scheifele and Josh Morrissey.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of leaders in this locker room, a lot of experience, been on winning teams. We have the energy to be one of the top teams in the league,\u201d he said in French.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s taking time to find my place but I try to have the mentality like when I was a captain \u2014 be a leader. It takes time but I\u2019m starting to find my place here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI try my best to improve my game, I think it\u2019s getting better. Each game I\u2019m getting chances.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no question Toews\u2019 return to the NHL after a two-year, health-related hiatus<\/a> has been compelling.<\/p>\n

It has brought significant attention to the Jets both in Manitoba and in other markets. Wednesday\u2019s huge scrum in Montreal was the latest example.<\/p>\n

The good news: he has been able to suit up for every game, which was far from guaranteed when he chose his hometown team over numerous NHL suitors and signed a US$2-million base deal with up to US$5 million in bonuses.<\/p>\n

Toews has already collected the first US$550,000 bonus after hitting the 20-game mark, with similar ones to come if he hits 30, 40, 50 and 60.<\/p>\n

The additional incentives \u2014 US$500,000 for making the playoffs and US$1 million for winning the Stanley Cup \u2014 might be a bit more far-fetched at this point.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say that he\u2019s doing backflips with his game,\u201d general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff told the Free Press last weekend when asked for an honest assessment of how his prized free agent signing has gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all a progression. As a group we just need to continue to build as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some fans may wonder whether a proud athlete like Toews might eventually decide to cut the cord and call it a career. While anything is possible, don\u2019t hold your breath.<\/p>\n

One thing is certain: while his comeback story is far from over, it hasn\u2019t exactly been a page-turner so far.<\/p>\n

winnipegfreepress.com\/mikemcintyre<\/p>\n

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\t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n

Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n

On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n

\t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\"Mike<\/p>\n

Mike McIntyre
Reporter
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Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MONTREAL \u2014 Jonathan Toews held court with a mass of mostly French-speaking reporters inside the Winnipeg Jets\u2019 cramped…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":326013,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-326012","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326012"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326012\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/326013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}