What Will the Contract Length Be for a Returning Jonathan Toews?
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period joined E.J. Hradek and Corey Schneider on NHL Network’s First Shift ahead of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. There, Pagnotta was asked about Jonathan Toews and his return to the NHL. How many options does he have, and what type of deal is he looking to sign?
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
EJ Hradek: “Let me ask you, what’s going on, if you heard anything on Jonathan Toews and what his plan is. I mean, he’s been out of the game for a while. He’s worked towards coming back. We’ve heard the story. He wants to play again. Any idea where he might land?”
Dave Pagnotta: “Yeah, those conversations are, have picked up over the last little bit. He wants to make a decision before the draft. I was told that’s his timeline. He wants to figure out where he wants to go by draft time. He started to narrow down some choices earlier this week, and I think they’re just going through them. Him and his agent are now going through the different options.
NHL Rumors: What Would a Contract Look Like for Jonathan Toews?
Winnipeg is certainly still in the mix there. I’ve heard Colorado, I’ve heard Toronto, they’re going to be contenders. And this is the other thing too, if he’s going to join anybody, he’s looking for one of those again. So he wants to be part of a team that can compete for a championship and be an asset that’s going to contribute, likely in a 3c role, and then see how things evolve for him, but you can get creative with his contract, low base salary, add some incentives as part of bonuses, and probably work it out in that fashion.
Lot of interest in him, as I said, narrowing down his options, and he’ll probably take the next 10 to 15 days to figure it out before making a decision.”
Cory Schneider: “And I was going to follow him up. You sort of mentioned it there. Do you think he’s looking at a one-year, incentive-laden deal or will the team give him multiple years just to make sure they can acquire him and have him on their team?”
Pagnotta: “I mean, look, if he can get a couple of years on his deal, I think bonus structure is going to be worked out regardless. But if he can come in and goes to an environment he’s comfortable with and has a little bit of extra stability, I’m sure that would be of interest to him certainly.
I think it might go in the one-year range. But if Toronto pulls off a two-year offer, Winnipeg or somebody, and he feels that they can chase a championship, I think that would certainly be part of the consideration.”
Hradek: “I’ll tell you what, I’m a big fan of Jonathan Toews, but I’d be hard pressed to go more than one year.”
Schenider: “I don’t know how you evaluate him right now.”
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Hradek: “Exactly right. I’d have to see him. And the thing to keep in mind, even if he signs with a team where maybe there’s not a Stanley Cup situation in that moment, if he performs well during the year, he could become a trade asset for somebody looking for a player like that, if he performs well. So I think there are a lot of options here for him, but it’ll be interesting. I’m just glad to see him come back and play. Obviously, one of the terrific, terrific players in the National Hockey League, so we’ll see what happens.”
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