Jets’ Josh Morrissey to miss game against Canucks with upper-body injury

The Winnipeg Jets are set to return to the ice following the Olympic break on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks, but they will do so without star defenseman Josh Morrissey, who will miss the game with an upper-body injury.

Head coach Scott Arniel told reporters, including Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press, that Morrissey is out for the contest but could re-join the team on a subsequent three-game road trip after being evaluated by the Jets’ medical staff.

Morrissey was a member of Team Canada at the Winter Olympics, and he missed every game following the team’s opener during the group stage with the ailment.

The absence of the 30-year-old from Alberta was notable for the Canadians, who could have used his mobility and puck-moving strength on the blue line as they survived scares in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds before falling in the gold medal game.

After taking his offensive game to a new level with an expanded role in the 2022-23 season, Morrissey is in his fourth consecutive campaign of putting up strong offensive numbers. He’s topped the 60-point mark in each of the three seasons prior to this one, and with 42 points in 56 games so far this year, he is on track to make it four.

In addition to the update on Morrissey, Arniel shared that backup goalie Eric Comrie will start between the pipes. Starter Connor Hellebuyck was heavily taxed in a gold medal-winning effort for Team USA, and it is up in the air when American players will rejoin their NHL teams.

That includes fellow Jet and winger Kyle Connor, as the Americans are slated to celebrate in South Florida on Monday night before a potential visit to the White House on Wednesday. The team was invited to attend the State of the Union address on Tuesday night as well.