Is dropping Josh Morrissey into the playoffs off of injury a good idea for Canada?

Now that the Canadian men’s Olympic hockey team has finished up group play with their 10-2 drubbing of France on Sunday, the only games that lie ahead of them are of the “must-win” variety. By winning Group A, Canada has reserved their spot in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, awaiting their draw out of Tuesday’s qualifying games.

Canada should have a big name returning for them as well, as defenseman Josh Morrissey is expected back at some point after suffering an injury in Canada’s opener against Czechia. At his best, Morrissey is a great puck-moving defenseman Canada would love to have in their lineup, but with Canada entering the elimination stage of the tournament, there could be some danger in letting Morrissey shake off any rust or play at less than 100 percent.

On Daily Faceoff‘s Canada vs France Post-Game show, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and Jeff Marek discussed the risk of dropping Morrissey back onto Canada’s blueline.

Tyler Yaremchuk: I’m curious about Josh Morrissey, if he’s going to be available and ready to go.

Jeff Marek: He skated this morning, so that’s good news. Even though it’s only been three games, to just air-drop someone into an environment now where it’s going to be up even higher of a level, that’s a risky move at this point. Even with someone as elite as Josh Morrissey, coming off the injury. I’m glad that he’s skating for the Winnipeg Jets, that’s what I’m really happy about here for Josh Morrissey. Even though he’s amongst the elite in the NHL, and one of the best defenders on Canada, I don’t know that air-dropping him in, even after these three games and the level this tournament has already gotten to, would be the sanest move.

You can catch the full discussion and the rest of Sunday’s show here…