We Now Know How Close the Toronto Maple Leafs Came to Signing Jonathan Toews
Jonathan Toews signed with the Winnipeg Jets on Friday; however, the Toronto Maple Leafs were in the mix from the very beginning and came somewhat close.
Ever since announcing that he would be making an NHL comeback, Jonathan Toews has been a target for the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency.
Numerous reports suggested that the Leafs were among the various finalists for the forward. Unfortunately, it just never came to fruition.
On Friday, Toews revealed that he would sign a one-year deal with the Winnipeg Jets, his hometown team.
Jonathan Toews and the Toronto Maple Leafs
In The Athletic, Pierre LeBrun wrote about Jonathan Toews and the Toronto Maple Leafs' pursuit of the legendary three-time Stanley Cup champion.
As he explains, the Leafs were interested and tried to make it work. However, early on in contract talks, it became clear that Toews was only going to go with the Jets or the Colorado Avalanche.
It was a no-brainer for general manager Brad Treliving to poke his nose in there, but the Leafs got the sense early it was Winnipeg or Colorado for Toews.
While Toews could have been a solid addition for the Leafs, it is only fitting that his comeback takes place in his hometown.
You really can't be mad about something like this at all. If anything, we are very happy for him, and we wish him the best of luck going forward.
Now, the Leafs will have to put their focus on other players as free agency is about to open up in just over a week from now.
Whether or not the team can acquire some of the big dogs on the market still remains to be seen.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 21 | 396 ANSWERS We Now Know How Close the Toronto Maple Leafs Came to Signing Jonathan Toews Do you think Jonathan Toews would have been a good fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs? | ||
| YES | 153 | 38.6 % |
| NO | 243 | 61.4 % |
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