Jonathan Toews Sweepstakes Officially Down to Two Contending Teams

While most teams are currently setting up for the NHL Draft and July's free agent frenzy, many eyes are focused on Jonathan Toews and his impending return.

The former 3-time Stanley Cup champion is expected to make his decision before the draft and a recent report from Chris Johnston has zeroed in on Colorado and Winnipeg as the two finalists duking it out for his services.

The Toews sweepstakes has been heating up over the last few weeks and it was believed that the Toronto Maple Leafs were serious contenders as well. However, it was always going to be a hard fought battle with the Jets having had interest in Toews dating back to his days with the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Winnipeg native has seemingly narrowed down his choices to either the President Trophy winning Jets, who assuredly need a buffer between top-line centre Mark Scheifele and third-line pivot Adam Lowry, or the Avalanche, who already have a plethora of centres at their disposal.

It will be interesting to see how he eventually slots in on either team considering the fact that he hasn't played in 2 seasons. Toews dealt with symptoms from his bout with COVID that essentially wiped out his entire 2020-21 season and parts of his campaigns in both 2021-22 as well as 2022-23.

As for the Maple Leafs, they will now have to continue their search for buy-low candidates to fill out the roster. With Mitch Marner walking into free agency, John Tavares' contract status still in question, and plenty of holes within their top-9, GM Brad Treliving has a lot of work to do this summer.