Insider Provides Clarity on Jonathan Toews' Decision and Where Maple Leafs Stand

After more than 2 years away from the NHL, 3-time Stanley Cup Champion Jonathan Toews began skating in December last year and recently announced that he is looking to resume his career next season.

At 37, Toews is in the twilight of his career, but is believed to still be an affective top or middle-six center by many across the league. With that, and his proven ability to win, Toews had a number of teams inquire about his services for next season, including the Maple Leafs.

On TSN's 'OverDrive' on Wednesday, Pierre LeBrun was asked about the timeline Toews has to make a decision. In response, LeBrun noted that the list of teams Toews is interested in has been narrowed down significantly.

From what LeBrun shared, it sounds like Toews' hometown Winnipeg Jets are the front-runners for his services, followed closely by the Avalanche with the remaining two teams not being completely ruled out, but also have some work to do.

Expected to make a decision by the NHL Entry Draft, Toews would be an ideal addition to a Maple Leafs lineup that needs help down the middle and a good starting point for Brad Treliving to 'change the DNA' of the forward group, but he will have to pull out all the stops to persuade the former first-round pick to join Toronto over Winnipeg and Colorado.