Scheifele Excited To Add Toews To Mix

Count Winnipeg Jets alternate captain and first-line center Mark Scheifele among those excited about the addition of longtime NHL captain Jonathan Toews. Calling Toews’ signing with the Jets “the perfect storm,” Scheifele expressed excitement about adding the three-time Stanley Cup champion and Winnipeg native, per NHL.com’s Derek Van Diest.

“Coming back to Winnipeg, coming back from not playing for a couple of years, I thought it all made so much sense. I was obviously hoping that we were the front-runner and we’re very excited to have him,” said Scheifele.

Toews signed a one-year deal with Jets on June 20, marking his return to the NHL after being sidelined since April 2023 after being diagnosed with Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). After a trip to India to seek additional healing practices, Toews announced in May that he intended to make a comeback, and ultimately chose to play for his hometown team.

While it’s difficult to predict how Toews will perform after such a long layoff, he’s expected to slot into a top-nine role and could provide the defending Presidents’ Trophy winners with a dependable two-way presence, which was a hallmark of his game during his time with the Blackhawks. Toews, along with fellow recent signees Gustav Nyquist, Tanner Pearson, and Cole Koepke, will look to pick up the offensive slack left behind by Nikolaj Ehlers, who signed with the Carolina Hurricanes this offseason.

Scheifele acknowledged that losing Ehlers is a challenge, but believes the team can take the next step in their success after being eliminated by the Dallas Stars in the second round of the playoffs.

“I think the biggest thing for us is to take those expectations and use it as motivation. You want to be just as good as last year, but at the same time, it’s about winning a Stanley Cup and that’s the end goal. We didn’t get that done last year and that at the end of the day, is our biggest goal,” he said.