Like a lot of us, NHL players are proud people. Their on-ice careers are their life’s work, and their ability to control what happens on the ice tends to carry over to their lives off the ice. That means, whenever possible, NHL players want to be the author of their exit from hockey’s best league in the world. Of course, for the grand majority of NHLers, the end of their playing days comes too soon. A major injury, a series of minor injuries or a drop-off in overall skill level eventually catches up with them, and they’re forced to call it quits. Only for a precious few does this reality differ from the rest. And this is why we occasionally see NHL stars attempting to defy the odds and stage their own departure from the sporting scene. Where could Jonathan Toews end up if he makes an NHL return? Longtime Chicago Blackhawks [http://thn.com/chicago] star center Jonathan Toews seems to want to defy the odds. The 37-year-old former Hawks captain last played in the 2022-23 season, before taking time off to deal with his own significant health challenges [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/latest-news/a-new-report-suggests-jonathan-toews-has-interest-from-teams]. But rumors are beginning to swirl that he intends to return to action, with a Sportsnet report [https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/jonathan-toews-nhl-return-could-170037247.html] suggesting that Toews may be targeting a return to the NHL next season. And while the Sportsnet speculation has the Anaheim Ducks [http://thn.com/anaheim] – and Toews’ former Blackhawks coach and new Ducks bench boss Joel Quenneville – being a possible destination for Toews, there may be a different market that could prove to be a better fit for him. For instance, would Toews’ hometown team, the Winnipeg Jets [http://thn.com/winnipeg], want to extend an opportunity to him? The Jets are surely going to be a better team than Anaheim will be next season, and the chance to perhaps finish his NHL career in front of friends and family may be exceedingly attractive to him. Jonathan Toews (David Banks-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/b89a1da4-5136-4192-a86b-81d3d2ac5cc9.jpeg] Jonathan Toews (David Banks-Imagn Images) Winnipeg’s excellent depth also means Toews could come in and serve as the Jets’ third-or-fourth-line center, and the ensuing lack of pressure to play big minutes right away and start putting up major points may also be a determinant in his decision on where to resume playing. And the chance to play perhaps one final season with a team that has a solid shot at winning a Stanley Cup for the three-time Cup-winner might be its best selling point for him. In that 2022-23 campaign with Chicago, Toews generated 15 goals and 31 points in 53 games, so teams need to adjust their expectations accordingly for him if he does stage a comeback next year. And maybe Toews doesn’t want the glare of a harsh spotlight and a heavy media contingent to deal with in a potential return, so a market like Anaheim could be a better fit for him. In any case, Toews has earned the right to call his own shot when it comes to saying goodbye to the game. He may ultimately choose to stay retired and have a guaranteed induction in the Hockey Hall of Fame come sooner than later. But if he does give it one more try as a player, no one could fault him for it. Toews has nothing to prove to anyone, but taking one last stab at being an NHL player might be the one challenge he has left as an elite athlete. Countless veterans before him have had their NHL exit authored for them, and Toews now has the opportunity to seize the moment and stage his own exit his own way. And no one should blame him for doing his utmost to stick around the world’s biggest hockey stage, even if only for the short term. Toews wouldn’t be the first top NHL performer to want to end things for himself, and getting the chance to play a handful more games may be too alluring to turn down. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
