Winnipeg’s blue line took a hit today, and the news on Josh Morrissey is a little worse than it first looked.
Jets head coach Scott Arniel told the media, including Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press, that Morrissey has been moved from day-to-day to week-to-week. The defenseman left Winnipeg’s win over the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 7 after just 9:32 of ice time, and the team later said he had suffered a wrist injury.
He was initially expected back quickly, but the club now believes the recovery will take longer than first projected. Even so, Morrissey is still not expected to need surgery.
That leaves Winnipeg without its clear No. 1 defenseman for now, and he has already missed two games - a loss to the Anaheim Ducks and a win over the Minnesota Wild. Morrissey handles a major workload every night as a two-way anchor, so Arniel has had to shuffle minutes across the back end.
In the first game without him, the Jets leaned on Neal Pionk in a No. 1 role, but that didn’t go smoothly during a night that saw him log just over 25 minutes. Against Minnesota, Winnipeg had better results by spreading Morrissey’s minutes more evenly and leaning a bit more on the first and second pairings.
Chicago also got a notable injury update on one of its top defensemen. Bowen Byram has an upper-body injury and is day-to-day, according to Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio 720.
Like Morrissey, Byram is being asked to carry a heavy nightly load as Chicago’s No. 1 defenseman. His start with the Blackhawks has been uneven so far - one point in six games - but the team is in no rush to move him out of that role after what it gave up to get him over the summer.
With Byram out, Sam Rinzel or Artyom Levshunov appears to be the leading candidate to run the No. 1 power play unit.
Anaheim, meanwhile, is dealing with an injury to its captain. Mikael Granlund is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, per a team announcement, and he did not practice today.
He has not yet missed a game for the Ducks, but the update makes it sound unlikely he’ll be available tomorrow against the Boston Bruins. Granlund lined up as Anaheim’s No. 2 center in the team’s last game, and The Hockey News’ Patrick Present reported that Cutter Gauthier is expected to step into that spot once he returns from an injury of his own.
In Other News...
Connor Hellebuyck Trade Buzz Just Got Real For The Jets
The conversation around Connor Hellebuyck suddenly feels a lot less hypothetical. According to Sportsnets Frank Seravalli, the Los Angeles Kings have reached out to the Jets to inquire about the reigning Winnipeg cornerstone in net, and the early contact is already enough to put the story on the radar around the league. No specific players or offers have changed hands yet, but Kings general manager Ken Holland has been informed of Winnipegs asking price, and that Hellebuyck would be willing to accept a move to Los Angeles.
For Winnipeg, any serious interest in a franchise goaltender immediately raises the stakes, especially with a team trying to balance present expectations against a market that does not often see a name like this come up. The Kings need is easy to understand, given their uneven play in goal and an aging roster that makes a big swing more complicated, but this is still the kind of discussion that can stall quickly if the price climbs too high. For now, the real story is not whether the Jets are shopping Hellebuyck, but how far Los Angeles is willing to push to make the idea more than just due diligence. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Head Into Chicago Waiting On One Crucial Lineup Decision
The Jets left Winnipeg after an optional practice with Josh Morrissey still listed day-to-day, leaving his status for the upcoming game against the Blackhawks uncertain. It is the kind of late-week question that can shape everything from the opening pairings to the overall tempo, especially with a Central Division matchup on deck and projected lineups already being pieced together on both sides.
Chicago, meanwhile, has found a bit more life since captain Connor Bedard returned, adding another layer of difficulty to a meeting that already carries a little extra weight. Winnipeg still has final roster and availability decisions to sort through before puck drop, so the most important update may not come until much closer to game time. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Face A Huge Goalie Decision As Slow Start Changes Everything
A slow start has pushed the Kings into a place where even a franchise-altering move is being weighed, and Connor Hellebuyck has surfaced as the kind of name that can shift the whole conversation. Los Angeles has reportedly explored the idea of trying to land the Winnipeg Jets goaltender, with GM Ken Holland said to understand the cost and Hellebuyck reportedly open to the possibility of a move.
For Winnipeg, the wrinkle is obvious: if the talk keeps building, the Jets would have to think through what happens if Hellebuyck wants back in after any deal drama. For now, though, this is still one of those situations that is more about the pressure of the moment than a finished plan, with the Kings sorting out whether the fit matches their strategy and no trade announcement anywhere in sight. [Read more 🡒]