According to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, there is real interest between the Edmonton Oilers and Jonathan Toews this summer. If the veteran forward decides he wants to keep playing in the NHL next season, the Oilers are reportedly on his list of potential landing spots, and GM Ken Holland is said to also have an interest in the former Chicago Blackhawk.
All that said, a lot has to happen first before this idea, in theory, becomes a reality. His health is a huge concern, and apparently, the Oilers have tasked a specific executive who knows Toews quite well with monitoring the center’s status.
Duncan Keith Given a Specific Role
As per Spector’s article, significant concerns persist regarding Toews, as his health has been a recurring issue in recent years. Duncan Keith, the Oilers’ scout/advisor, will assume greater responsibilities under Holland’s leadership this upcoming season, including overseeing the situation with Toews. It’s not entirely clear what he’ll be tracking or if Toews is aware that Keith has been given the job, but it does show that the Oilers are keenly curious about where Toews sits on July 1.
Keith and Toews go way back as part of the core that helped the Blackhawks win multiple Stanley Cups. Keith, who spent a season in Edmonton before retiring, is now a member of the Oilers’ staff as an executive and will be taking on certain jobs, among them, maintaining a good relationship with Toews, seeing how his rehabilitation and workouts are coming along, and then convincing him to consider the Oilers on a team-friendly deal if he’s healthy enough to come back for another year.
What Might Keith Be Tracking?
Part of what Keith will be looking for goes beyond whether Toews is “healthy enough” to play, but motivated and able to play 82 games. There’s a big difference between signing a player who can stand the rigors of an entire season and coming back, only to have to sit half of the year because health problems keep re-emerging.
Spector writes, “At 35, Toews would be a one-year, $1-million signing, and could potentially help a young Ryan McLeod the way Mattias Ekholm did Bouchard last season.” And, as valued a contract as a $1 million hit for Toews would be, he’s not worth anything if he’s sidelined. Spector adds:
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Toews needs to get his head around hitting the gym for one more run at a Cup before his Hall of Fame career comes to a close. If not, then it’s been a helluva run. But given his age, the Oilers — or any team — can’t have 50 per cent of whatever Toews has left in the tank.
It’s also key to get some kind of read on the possible minutes Toews might be able to handle in any given game. He played far too many in Chicago last year and the Oilers will have to find the sweet spot where he’s most productive.
Why Is This Such an Important Job For Keith?
Not only does this job add to a list of roles Keith might take on with the Oilers, but getting this decision with Toews right is critically important. The Oilers have very little cap room with which to work and every signing and decision needs to be the right one if the team is going to take the next step towards the Stanley Cup. There’s no wiggle room to be wrong and with Toews, there’s a chance the signing could backfire.
If it does, not only was it a waste, but giving his spot when another option might have been available puts Edmonton in scramble mode during the season. There will be few options as potentially impactful as Toews for $1 million this season. If Toews goes down, finding a replacement will be difficult, especially if most of the names the Oilers might have been looking at strike deals with other teams this summer.
