Injury Updates: Morrissey, Byram, Granlund

Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel told the media today, including Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press, that injured defenseman Josh Morrissey has been downgraded from day-to-day to week-to-week. Morrissey left Winnipeg’s victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 7 after just 9:32 time on ice. It was later announced that he had suffered a wrist injury, and Morrissey was originally given a day-to-day recovery timeline. The club now believes Morrissey’s recovery will take a little bit longer than anticipated, though he is still not expected to require surgery.

Since suffering his injury, Morrissey has missed two games for the Jets, one loss to the Anaheim Ducks and one victory over the Minnesota Wild. Morrissey is the Jets’ clear-cut No. 1 defenseman, a two-way force who shoulders a substantial workload on a nightly basis. While Morrissey has been sidelined, Arniel has redistributed some of Morrissey’s minutes across his blueline. In the first game without Morrissey, the Jets utilized Neal Pionk as a No. 1 defenseman, but he struggled in just over 25 minutes of ice time. Arniel found more success against the Wild by redistributing Morrissey’s minutes more evenly across his defense, and relying slightly more heavily on his first and second pairings.

Other injury notes from around the NHL:

• Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram has suffered an upper-body injury and will be sidelined on a day-to-day basis, reports Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio 720. Like Morrissey, Byram is Chicago’s No. 1 defenseman and a player who shoulders a heavy workload for the club on a nightly basis. Byram has struggled in his new role in Chicago, scoring just one point in six games, but he’s going to get a long runway in the role given what the Blackhawks surrendered to acquire him over the summer. In Byram’s absence, it’s likely that one of Sam Rinzel or Artyom Levshunov will get a crack at quarterbacking Chicago’s No. 1 power play unit.
• Anaheim Ducks captain Mikael Granlund is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, according to a team announcement. He has not yet missed a game for the Ducks but he did not practice today. Based on the announcement, it seems unlikely Granlund will be able to play tomorrow against the Boston Bruins. Granlund skated as the team’s No. 2 center in its most recent game. The Hockey News’ Patrick Present reported that Granlund’s vacated role is set to be filled by forward Cutter Gauthier, who is nearing a return from an injury of his own.