CHICAGO, IL – JANUARY 06: Noah Hanifin #5 of the Carolina Hurricanes moves against Jonathan Toews #19 of the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on January 6, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The Blackhawks beat the Hurricanes 2-1. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Recently, I asked a question on Twitter. What is the weakness of this Hurricanes team? A lot of people talked about the power play, which the team tried to address. The other common answer was 2C. With Vincent Trocheck signing a 7-year contract in New York, there has been a lot of concern about the two system children who could replace him. If only there was a center somewhere else that might want to come out. Enter Jonathan Toews.
For those of you new to hockey or just not sure who Toews is, here’s a quick rundown. Known as “Captain Serious”, Toews has 3 cups, a Conn Smythe, a Selke, 2 Olympic goal medals, a Mark Messier Leadership Award and an NHL All-Star Team appearance. If he decides to hang them up, he’ll end up in the Hockey Hall of Fame. That said, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine right now with Toews.
Having recently battled career-threatening illnesses that ruined most of his basic lifestyle, Toews didn’t have his best start to the season last year. He missed the entire 56-game shortened season before that, so it makes sense that it took him a while to adjust. But at 34, you have to wonder if he looks more like the player he was at the start of last year, or the one who finished the season on fire.
With that uncertainty, the $10.5 million cap reached by Toews isn’t exactly the most attractive deal in the world. However, Chicago will likely eat half of it to move him if he agrees to waive his no-move clause by the trade deadline, or sooner. After doing an interview with The Athletic, it is common knowledge that he has very little appetite to endure a rebuild, despite being excellent with young players.
Carolina’s biggest uncertainty is the 2C role. While I’m not saying Toews is the perfect person for this, if he can get into the rod roster and plug the holes if the youngsters aren’t able to fill the 2C situation, his experience is amazing and his resume vitae speaks for itself. While his character might be in question after last season’s news with the Blackhawks, on the ice his story is impeccable.
This is usually the part where I talk about what the Canes would give up, however, I have no idea what Jonathan Toews’ value is or should be. He has such a good pedigree, but he’s not the player he used to be. His presumptive cap of $5.25 million isn’t easy for any team to take on, and there are a lot of questions about whether or not he’s worth it. He would also have to waive a no-move clause to come to Raleigh.
