Jonathan Toews is preparing to call it quits on his 16-season NHL career.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the 38-year-old center will officially announce his retirement from the league on Friday. The Winnipeg Jets have scheduled a press conference for 11 am CT at the Jonathan Toews Sportsplex in Winnipeg.
Toews played the 2025-26 season with his hometown Jets, the lone year he spent in the NHL outside Chicago after the Blackhawks drafted him third overall in 2006. He seemingly left open the possibility of returning for one more season with the Jets during his end-of-year media availability in April, but has ultimately decided against playing a 17th campaign.
“One hundred percent if they’ll have me,” Toews said then. “I loved being part of this locker room this year. That being said, if I decide to play next year, I’d love to be part of this group again, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Toews played in all 82 games for the Jets this past year, recording 29 points (11g, 18a), which was a single-season career low. His contract with the Jets was heavily incentive-laden, with a base salary and cap hit of $2 million. The terms included five game-played-related bonuses and five playoff-related bonuses, including a $1 million prize if the Jets won the 2026 Stanley Cup and Toews played 50 percent of the Cup Final.
Before signing in Winnipeg, the three-time Stanley Cup champion sat out for two full seasons (2023-2025) due to long COVID and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS).
The long-time top pivot made headlines when he revealed to GQ that he spent some time in India undergoing a “five-week Ayurvedic detox called a Panchakarma,” which involved induced vomiting and daily enemas. His return from those ailments saw him voted as one of three finalists for the 2026 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
During his career, Toews has played in 1,149 games and recorded 912 points (383g, 529a). The six-time NHL All-Star has also won the Conn Smythe Trophy (2010), Selke Trophy (2013), and Mark Messier Leadership Award (2013).
