Fans in Winnipeg were left uneasy Wednesday night when Josh Morrissey did not come back for the Winnipeg Jets after suffering an upper-body injury against the Colorado Avalanche.
The team announced during the game that the defenseman was done for the night. Winnipeg didn’t say exactly what happened, but the sequence appeared to unfold in the closing seconds of the first period.
Morrissey tried to throw a hit on Avalanche rookie T.J. Hughes, Hughes pulled away at the last moment, and Morrissey crashed hard into the glass before skating off slowly while favoring his right arm.
There was a brief sign of hope when Morrissey returned to the ice to start the second period. That didn’t last long. After a short shift, the 31-year-old headed back down the tunnel to the Jets’ locker room and never returned.
Before exiting, Morrissey logged 9:32 of ice time over 11 shifts. He finished without a point, but did record a shot on goal and a shot block.
The Calgary native had played in all four of Winnipeg’s games to open the 2026-27 season. He was held off the scoresheet in a season-opening loss to the Boston Bruins, then found his offense with three assists in wins over the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins. He entered Wednesday with a minus-1 rating and was averaging 23:35 of ice time.
It’s still too early to know how serious the injury is, but losing Morrissey for any stretch would be a major hit to a Jets team that has gotten off to a strong start despite limited expectations and the off-ice drama involving goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
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