Jets Activate Josh Morrissey; Reassign Henry Thrun

Unless Jake Allen has a horrible night for the New Jersey Devils, the Winnipeg Jets won’t be able to get any revenge on netminder Connor Hellebuyck in his return to Canada Life Centre. Still, they’ll get a boost in a different way, as the Jets will return their best defenseman tonight.

According to a team announcement, Winnipeg activated defenseman Josh Morrissey from the injured reserve. In a corresponding roster move, the Jets assigned defenseman Henry Thrun to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

Morrissey, 31, had been on Winnipeg’s injured reserve with a wrist injury. Originally, head coach Scott Arniel told reporters that Morrissey would miss only a few days after he suffered his injury against the Colorado Avalanche on October 7th. Unfortunately, just over a week later, Morrissey was downgraded to week-to-week and has been out since.

Before his injury, Morrissey looked like his normal self, registering three assists in his first four games with a -1 rating. He’ll likely return to his spot on the left side of the Jets’ top defensive pairing.

Hopefully, for Winnipeg’s sake, Morrissey’s return helps the team turn their fortunes around. Although they’ve won three straight contests, the Jets are only a handful of days removed from a nine-game losing streak.

Considering his recent performances, there’s every reason to believe he will. Since the 2022-23 campaign, Morrissey has scored 54 goals and 262 points in 316 games with a +59 rating, while averaging 24:23 of ice time per game. Still, his recent injury made for one of the longest absences of his career, so it may take time for him to regain form.

Meanwhile, Thrun’s call-up ends after three days. The 25-year-old defenseman signed a one-year, $850K contract with the Jets this past offseason after being non-tendered by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has scored one goal and seven points in 13 games with a +2 rating for the Moose this season.