- Josh Morrissey is now week-to-week with an upper-body injury
- Scott Arniel says the Jets defenseman doesn’t need surgery
- Read below for how long he’s been out and where Winnipeg stands without him
Josh Morrissey is out longer than the Jets hoped.
Head coach Scott Arniel told team reporter Mitchell Clinton on Thursday that the defenseman is now week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Morrissey does not need surgery, Arniel said, and the team learned more about the injury over the past few days:
Morrissey got hurt Oct. 7 in Winnipeg’s 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche and was first listed as day-to-day. He crashed into the boards on a missed hit, which we broke down in our earlier report. The Jets announced he wouldn’t return that night:
He has missed two games so far and sits out Thursday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Carolina visits Winnipeg on Saturday.
Before the injury, Morrissey had three assists in four games and was playing more than 20 minutes a night. He is the Jets’ top defenseman, so that’s a lot of ice time to hand to somebody else.
The Jets have handled the early schedule well anyway. They’re 4-1-1, second in the Central Division, and coming off a 5-2 win over Minnesota on Tuesday. Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Cole Perfetti have driven most of the offense.
Stuart Skinner has been in net while Connor Hellebuyck, who requested a trade, still hasn’t reported. Losing Morrissey on the back end adds another hole for a team already leaning on its depth.
Arniel didn’t give a return date, and week-to-week leaves plenty of room.
