Winnipeg Jets star Josh Morrissey suffered an upper-body injury at the recently-concluded men’s hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics, the full extent of which has yet to be revealed. Morrissey was unable to get back onto the ice for Canada after suffering the injury, and TSN insider Darren Dreger said today that Morrissey is expected to miss “a good chunk of time” as a result of the injury.
Jets head coach Scott Arniel didn’t go as far when asked about Morrissey after Jets practice today. As relayed by Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press, Arniel confirmed that the defenseman won’t play on Wednesday when the team resumes its schedule against the Vancouver Canucks, but added that he could meet the team on its upcoming road trip after he is evaluated by team doctors.
It goes without saying that the Jets hope their evaluation of Morrissey’s injury ends up in a more positive prognosis. The blueliner, who has finished inside the top-10 of Norris Trophy voting in each of the last three seasons, is easily Winnipeg’s most important defenseman.
He’s a true No. 1 in every sense, averaging 24:37 time on ice per game, which is the most on the Jets by a wide margin. That level of usage per game places him No. 11 in time on ice per game among all defensemen in the NHL. Morrissey is also Winnipeg’s top power play quarterback, averaging 3:09 time on ice per game on the man advantage, and has scored 10 goals and 42 points in 56 games.
Losing Morrissey for an extended period would not only take the Jets’ most important blueliner out of their lineup, the trickle-down effect of losing him would also be felt by the rest of the defense, who would have to play increased roles as a result of his absence.
Of course, even if Morrissey does miss some time and the Jets suffer as a result, their overall direction for the season is unlikely to change dramatically. Even with a healthy Morrissey, the Jets entered the Olympic break No. 28 in the NHL with a 22-26-8 record. Their playoff odds sit at just 5.5% according to Moneypuck, so Morrissey’s injury and its exact timeline is unlikely to make or break their season.
But in any case, the team is still likely hoping to get Morrissey back as soon as possible, so that they can at least put up a fight down the stretch and hope to potentially shock the hockey world and make a push upwards in the standings.