There are many ways the Vancouver Canucks can bolster their center depth ahead of the 2025-26 season, but one option that's driving conversation all across the hockey community is absolutely not a fit.
It was reported on Thursday that former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is aiming for an NHL comeback after sitting out each of the last two seasons due to a grueling recovery from long COVID and chronic inflammatory response syndrome.
Signing a three-time Stanley Cup champion is tempting if you're the Canucks, looking to remain competitive and make a run at winning yourselves. But, this kind of marriage just doesn't work for either side.
From Toews' perspective, the Canucks are almost certainly not the team I'm looking for to try and compete at the age of 37. Given Filip Chytil's tenuous health status and Elias Pettersson's struggles and own injuries, Toews is looking at north of 19 minutes of ice time a night if something happens.
And if you're Toews, what happens if you can't hack it like you thought you could and you go out sad? Toews told The Athletic he feels he still has "high-level hockey" left in the tank, but if he doesn't, it won't look as bad on a better and deeper team that isn't the Canucks.
As for the Canucks, they ought to hinge their center depth hopes on a more reliable player who hasn't spent two calendar years traveling the planet seeking ways to recover from some brutal ailments.
It's likely Toews won't come cheap, even after the long layoff, and the Canucks might even be better off paying up for Pius Suter at that point. There really are no benefits to signing Toews, unless for some reason Vancouver thinks it can do the unthinkable and win now.
The Canucks should steer clear of Toews and look elsewhere for center depth this offseason.