The Bruins still have a clear hole on defense, and if Don Sweeney goes hunting for help, Winnipeg Jets blueliner Josh Morrissey could be the kind of name that sneaks up on people.
Boston’s offseason picture hasn’t exactly gotten simpler. The club still needs a top-six center and a top-four defenseman, preferably a right-shot, but the defense side is the one that feels most urgent.
Sweeney was reportedly close on July 1 to landing Darnell Nurse from Edmonton, only for the deal to reportedly fall apart when a Boston player reportedly wouldn’t waive their trade power. The result is the same either way: the Bruins still haven’t plugged that spot.
That leaves Sweeney in a tough spot. There are already too many defensemen on the roster, even with Charlie McAvoy suspended for the first six games of the 2026-27 season. If Boston wants to swing big via trade, Winnipeg may be the kind of partner worth watching.
Morrissey isn’t the obvious fit on paper, and that’s part of what makes him interesting. He’s a left-shot defenseman, not the right-shot addition Boston is ideally chasing, but he checks a lot of the other boxes. The 31-year-old logs a little more than 24 minutes per game, and in 77 games last season he put up 14 goals and 41 assists while finishing at plus-6 on a Jets team that missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Drafted 13th overall by Winnipeg in 2013, Morrissey is entering the seventh season of an eight-year contract with a $6.25 million AAV. He’d give second-year head coach Marco Sturm a veteran two-way presence to slot in with Boston’s other core players in their prime, and he’d do it in front of Jeremy Swayman.
The bigger question is what it would cost. Boston would almost certainly need to send money out to bring money in.
Mason Lohrei could be the starting point, especially with the Bruins reportedly listening on him. From there, the discussion could widen to prospects or even a roster player.
Casey Mittlestadt could also come into play if Sweeney can convince Winnipeg to take him, particularly since he’s in a walk year.
A Morrissey pursuit probably only gets real if the Jets decide to move Connor Hellebuyck. There’s no hard proof that Hellebuyck is on the way out, but the rumors have been loud enough to matter. And if Winnipeg does open the door on him, it could mean they’re willing to listen elsewhere too.
If that happens, Morrissey becomes a legitimate option for a Bruins blue line that can’t afford to be picky. Boston needs help, and if Sweeney wants to make a win-now move, this is the kind of trade target that fits the moment.
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The recognition followed, too, with a Vezina Trophy finalist nod and a fifth-place spot on NHL Networks top-10 goalie list going into 2026-27. Boston also enters the season with a new look behind him, after trading Joonas Korpisalo and clearing the backup job for Michael DiPietro, a setup that only sharpens the spotlight on Swayman if the Bruins are going to take another step. [Read more 🡒]