What is Jonathan Toews's Trade Value?
While the updates today from agent Pat Brisson on Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Seth Jones, were essentially just there is no update in a lot of words curtesy of TSN Insider Pierre Lebrun:
Update on Kane/Toews/S. Jones ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/pXKYJDxLDR� Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 13, 2022
There has still been tons of speculation that the Blackhawks may try and trade Toews and Kane before the trade deadline. But that begs the question, what is Jonathan Toews's trade value?
He is coming off of the worst season of his career with 37 points in 71 games but it should not be forgotten that he returned after missing an entire season due to illness and was apart of an abysmal Blackhawks team this year.
His last season before this year was the season cut short by COVID-19 in 2019-20, and Toews racked up 60 points in 71 games before going on to record 9 points in 9 games in the "bubble playoff" late that summer. Then the year prior Toews played all 82 games and recorded 81 points. So no I do not think it is fair to say Jonathan Toews is "washed" based off of one down year on a terrible hockey team.
While he might not be one of the best players in the league at this stage of his career, his skillset is certainly valuable to contending teams. He boasts a very strong two way game and has a career Faceoff Win Percentage of 57% and has never finished lower than 53% at the dot. The biggest hindrance to his trade value right now is his $10.55mill cap hit. With one year remaining, and the Blackhawks ability to eat half of his cap hit, they should be able to find a suitor it just might not be till the trade deadline.
Toews feels like a prime example of an overkill deadline move for a contender too add depth to put them over the top. With a 50% cap retained, and even less off it to pay out since there is only roughly a quarter of the season, the trade deadline feels like the perfect time to move Toews and maximize his value.
As for that value I would expect it will be similar to what the Flyers got for Claude Giroux. A first round pick, a 3rd round pick, and high end prospect. While that may seem like a lot and unattainable when compared to the DeBrincat trade, remember this is at the deadline when everyone overpays and remember the shocking haul they got for a lesser player in Brandon Hagel. Plus with the state of the roster maybe Toews will finally be reunited on a line with Kane and rack up a ton of points.
While this is all contingent on Toews agreeing to the trade, lets be honest as fans, it feels eminent that 19 and 88 will be gone this year. Despite every local media member harping how it is "nonsense click bait rumors, they haven't requested a trade yet so they won't be traded". That still doesn't mean the Blackhawks can't go to them first and say we're going to trade you tell me where you want to be traded, exactly how the Flyers handled trading Claude Giroux with his NMC at last years deadline. (Plus National media members such as Elliot Freidman of SportNet and Mike Johnson of TSN have spent the speculating on what's going to happen with 19 & 88 and who might be interested).
To borrow a phrase from Kevin Weekes, "the situation remains fluid". Maybe everyone local is partly right though, maybe 19 & 88 won't agree to be traded so they can walk as free agents out of spite for how the organization handled the end of their prime. No one knows for sure, but Silly Season just started in the NHL today with the opening of free agency and I'm the chatter won't stop anytime soon.
| POLL | ||
Should the Blackhawks try and trade Toews at the Deadline? | ||
| Yes they can maximize his value then! | 117 | 45.3 % |
| No they should trade him sooner for the tank! | 86 | 33.3 % |
| No let him walk as a free agent! | 55 | 21.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
