Why Jonathan Toews being rusty in first Winnipeg Jets skates is actually great news

Jonathan Toews looks like hes having fun.

He does not look like an NHL superstar.

If those two statements stay true when Winnipegs informal skates turn into training camp, preseason, and if all goes well meaningful NHL games, the Jets will be thrilled with the performance of their marquee UFA signing.

Advertisement Skating on Thursday, Toews footspeed was average, his hands were good, and most striking at this stage of his career he looked like he belonged.

For a 37-year-old hockey player who hasnt played an NHL game since April 13, 2023 (and whose contracts litany of games-played bonuses highlights the uncertainty around his health) this should be seen as a tremendous victory.

I feel great.

Im really happy, Toews said.

At this point now, I feel like I have much more speed and much more energy on the ice.

Its only going to improve, too.

Remember that Toews health troubles led to him missing the entire 2020-21, 2023-24, and 2024-25 seasons.

There were days when he couldnt get out of bed .

There was always going to be the chance that Toews first media availability after skating with his new teammates was full of disappointment.

Instead, Toews looks like one of the guys talking shop with Gabriel Vilardi between drills, laughing with Logan Stanley after a three-on-three goal.

This means his comeback attempt is very much still on even if Toews does admit to some nerves after so much time away.

You want to belong, Toews said.

You want to be part of the team.

Its a new experience, especially after being away from hockey as long as I have been ...

But thats part of the fun.

That feeling of camaraderie of being one of the guys is one that NHL players often claim to miss the most when they retire.

For Toews, who managed to avoid committing to his own retirement even during his lowest lows, the ability to look like just another NHL player this early in the year vindicates their offseason bet.

Winnipeg doesnt need Toews to be a Conn Smythe Trophy winner or a point per game star.

It does need him to be an important piece of a playoff-calibre team someone who can play tough second or third line minutes and add to what Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry already do at centre.

Advertisement Toews has never been known for his footspeed, but he kept pace with the main group of Jets and Moose veterans throughout the skate.

He showed NHL-quality stick skills, setting up one scoring chance by banking a backhand pass off the boards and then taking a return feed from Vilardi, looking off his defenceman, and firing a tape-to-tape pass to Cole Koepke for a shot.

He remained on the ice well after the informal skate was over, ultimately losing the last man off the ice battle to Parker Ford.

He even allowed himself some frustration, slapping his stick on the ice when one of his passes didnt hit its intended target.

You do a lot of three-on-three and small area stuff where you dont have a lot of space, Toews said.

Those are the situations you get a little bit hasty, a little bit excited, and make a play that you wouldnt have made if you were slowing things down and being a little bit more patient.

But that sort of thing will start coming back and Im sure my game will progress and improve throughout the entire season, too.

Toews hockey IQ was never going to be the issue.

The fact that his health and his footspeed are giving him the chance to criticize his own decision-making is a win in and of itself.

The range of possibilities for Toews as he begins his 16th NHL season is enormous.

Given the length of his absence from hockey, one of those possibilities was that hed look washed up the moment he was surrounded by NHL players.

No one would have criticized his work ethic if all his comeback attempt revealed was a washed-up player who looked two steps too slow, unable to keep up.

He has a long way to go to prove he can excel as a middle-six centre, but you can safely scrub washed off your list of expectations.

It feels like the last couple of years have gone by in the blink of an eye, Toews said.

Its almost like sometimes you dont even remember what skate you put on first but then once you get going, you dont think about it and everything is just muscle memory.

Its fun to get back in that routine and get back into the structure of an NHL camp and an NHL season.

Advertisement Toews understands that not everything is going to be perfect at the beginning, that some days will be challenging and that there will be rust to shake off.

He says that part of his challenge will be to remind himself to stay patient.

To that end, hes focusing on his love of the game itself.

I am just trying to remind myself to not overthink it, not to get too frustrated, Toews said.

The great thing about hockey is that there are so many skills you have got to work on, so many different aspects of the game that you are constantly trying to keep it all together and get better in all those areas.

I am a player that always prides myself on always playing a complete game and playing two ends of the rink.

You are going to make mistakes but it is not the end of the world.

Toews also took a moment to remind reporters that hell be playing with great players, that Winnipeg is a great team, and that the quality of the team will help him in his return.

To that end, Toews assessment of Winnipeg was glowing.

Its already easy to pick up on why this team has a lot of chemistry in the locker room and on the ice.

Theres a lot of guys with a lot of talent but also a ton of character in this room, too I can feel that already, Toews said.

Its fun to be a part of something like that.

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