The eminently prophetic Pussycat Dolls penned a lyric that goes as follows: “Be careful what you wish for, ’cause you just might get it.” Please don’t pretend you don’t know the song; there are no medals for good taste—at least not from me.
It is unconfirmed whether the Pussycat Dolls had Jonathan Toews in mind at the time of authorship, but the lyric’s relevance is unabated either way. Winnipeg Jets fans had been salivating for their hometown hero to join the team, so when, on July 2, 2025, their dreams became reality, Winnipeggers were elated.
We got what we wanted, but do we regret it?
A three-time Stanley Cup champion, Selke Award winner, and recipient of the Conn Smythe, Toews’ trophy case is a snapshot of his Hall of Fame career.
Was his skill set moribund? Perhaps—but more importantly, the Winnipeg Jets were bringing in a proven winner. Consider this quote from legendary coach Scotty Bowman:
"“Jonathan brings it every night. It’s one thing to have ability, but another to compete. You are not going to outcompete Toews.”"Scotty Bowman
Back to that later.
While never a top-ten scorer in his career, Toews’ utility was more comprehensive. Using Wins Above Replacement (WAR), from 2009 to 2014, Toews was worth 18.1 wins, or more palatably, 4.4 wins per 82 games. Only Sidney Crosby had a higher WAR during those five years at 18.9 (6.0 wins per 82 games). While WAR is not a perfect statistic, it is very useful in showing a player's overall impact on the game, and the rarified strata of players with whom Toews belonged.
For good measure: while Toews was never an elite scorer, he did produce. During his peak years (again from 2009–2014), Toews averaged 0.94 points per game, at a time when 100-point seasons were still a rarity. That tied him with Claude Giroux for the 17th-best scoring rate in the league during that time, and left him just two-hundredths of a point shy of 11th.
There is no question that Jonathan Toews was elite—but what does the Winnipeg Jets 37-year-old version look like?
The primary issue is that his peak years were over a decade ago. Since 2014, Toews’ effectiveness had progressively declined. He had morphed into a below-average player even before his three-year absence from the NHL following the 2022-2023 season.
This year, his “Expected Goals For” and “Expected Goals Against” sit near the bottom of the league. His WAR has fallen into the negative, meaning he adds losses rather than wins. And Toews always had (even up to 2022) a positive takeaway-to-giveaway ratio—which is not easy for forwards. Not anymore.
In short, his offensive counting stats and advanced metrics are abysmal—but what about his defence and intangibles?
Let’s start with the positive. Jonathan Toews is still very good on faceoffs. He wins at a 61% rate, which ranks fourth in the league. Winning faceoffs is helpful; the degree to which it matters will forever be debated between old-school and new-school hockey punditry.
However, the defensive prowess is no longer there. Why? Let’s return to the Scotty Bowman quote: “You are not going to outcompete Toews.” That has been the issue. Toews’ competition level isn’t there night to night, and outwardly he seems discontent. Whether it’s rust, age, or his absence from the game, Toews does not compete with the rigour of his youth.
There are stories from his days with the Chicago Blackhawks that suggest he was hard on his teammates, stemming from his competitive drive. I’m not in the locker room, but that drive is not readily apparent.
Compounding matters is that the Jets organization brought Jonathan Toews in to fill a role he was not able to fill. That is not his fault. Plugging a 37-year-old centreman coming off an extended leave of absence into a second-line role is a recipe for disaster. Think about it objectively: Jets fans would have been apoplectic if the Toews experiment had been done with anyone other than Jonathan Toews. Sentiment clouds judgment.
The Toews experiment has been like tobogganing—fun for a moment, but a slog otherwise. Outwardly, Toews is saying he wants to stay in Winnipeg and perhaps finish his career here. It’s natural to be deferential to a loved one, but Winnipeg Jets fans can be harsh (present company included). Nobody wants to see their hero’s legacy tarnished. So Toews should remember: be careful what you wish for, ’cause you might just get it.