Not only did an injury knock Josh Morrissey out of the majority of the Olympics, it’s unclear when the star defenceman might be able to return to the Winnipeg Jets lineup.
Morrissey, who is fourth in team scoring with 10 goals and 42 points in 56 games while averaging nearly 25 minutes of ice time per game, is dealing with an upper-body injury that limited him to just one period and change of action in Italy with Team Canada.
The full severity of his ailment won’t be determined until after he is examined by team doctors.
Chris O’Meara / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Jets’ Josh Morrissey (44) will be out of the club’s lineup on Wednesday. The defenceman’s injury, sustained in the opening game of the Olympics against Czechia, is yet to be assessed by team doctors.
What we do know is that Morrissey won’t be suiting up as the Jets open a three-game road trip on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks.
“For sure he won’t be in Vancouver and we’ll see where we’re going from there,” Jets head coach Scott Arniel said on Monday afternoon.
Should Morrissey be sidelined for an extended period of time, it would be a significant blow to the Jets slim playoff chances.
Arniel confirmed that Eric Comrie would be between the pipes against the Canucks and that the plan, at least for the time being, was for Connor Hellebuyck to start against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.
However, that plan could be in flux depending on how everything shakes down with the proposed visit to the White House for the U.S. men’s hockey team that won the gold medal on Sunday in Milan.
The Jets are expecting to get Neal Pionk back from a lower-body injury on Wednesday, but fellow blue-liner Haydn Fleury won’t likely be an option until later in the road trip, at the earliest.
Frank Gunn / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Goaltender Eric Comrie will start the game for the Winnipeg Jets when they resume NHL action against the Vancouver Canucks, Wednesday.
Goalie Dom DiVincentiis is expected to dress as Comrie’s backup on Wednesday, though it’s too early to tell if defenceman Ville Heinola or Walker Duehr will remain on the roster.
The status of Kyle Connor for Wednesday’s game is also up in the air, since Team USA is scheduled to visit the White House on Tuesday.
Although Connor was vehement about returning to the Jets lineup immediately after the 4 Nations Face-Off, that tournament was held in North America.
Things could be a bit more complicated this time around as it pertains to the logistics.
“Everybody’s in a holding pattern,” said Arniel. “We have to see. We’ll see where we’re at on the (defensive) side. I’m not pushing this off, I’ve got to see exactly where everybody’s travelling to, who’s going to be available.”
Fellow Olympian Nino Niederreiter is going to play after he returned to skate with his teammates on Monday for the first time since Switzerland was eliminated after a 3-2 overtime loss to Finland.
Luca Bruno / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor, left, celebrates with United States teammates after receiving their gold medals, Sunday. Connor’s return to NHL action for the Jets is up in the air at the moment.
Niederreiter, who had one goal in four games in Milan, was encouraged by what he saw from his home country as NHLers returned to the Olympics for the first time since 2014.
“In prior Olympics, I feel like Switzerland always got taken very lightly, and I feel like this year, we gave a good push, and I feel like everybody respected us and the way we play,” said Niederreiter. “I think that’s something which we accomplished and we were very proud of.
“Last game against the Finns, (that) was one we should have taken home, which was kind of frustrating. But at the same time, I felt pretty good about Swiss hockey.”
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Niederreiter confirmed the pace was as frenetic as it looked on television.
“It was extremely fun,” said Niederreiter, who has eight goals and 19 points in 55 games with the Jets this season. “Obviously, you could tell that the ice surface was a little bit smaller. There’s a little bit less room than you’re kind of used to, but at the same time it was extremely fast. Everybody was going I feel like 100 miles an hour. And it was a great competition.”
The inspiration that comes from competing in an event like the Olympics has Niederreiter feeling rejuvenated as he returns for a stretch run that will feature 26 games over the span of 51 days.
Karl DeBlaker / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Jets forward Nino Niederreiter returned to Winnipeg shortly after bowing out of the Olympic knockout round and is set to be in Wednesday’s lineup against the Vancouver Canucks.
“Absolutely,” he said. “For me personally, I wasn’t extremely happy with how things are going so far with my own performance. So, it’s definitely something (where) it was kind of good to regroup as well and hopefully we put a couple of great games together here.”
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Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken.
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