It is T-minus 26 days to the Winnipeg Jets first preseason game and 43 days to
their first regular season tilt. However, it';s becoming more and more possible
 with each passing day the team may be entering those battles -against the
Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues, respectively - without one of their big
guns on the blue line.

#NHLJets GOAL! 🚨 

Josh Morrissey with the point shot to put Jets on the board!  It's a 1-1 game! 
 #GoJetsGo #WPGvsTOR pic.twitter.com/PJW80W7an5

- Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) April 1, 2018

23-year-old restricted free agent defenseman Josh Morrissey is still without a
contract - either a short-term bridge deal, or more ideally, a long-term
contract that keeps him on the Jets through his prime - for the 2018-19 season.

There';s still time, but as Steve Miller said, "time keeps on slipping,
slipping into the future." If the Jets and Morrissey can';t strike a deal and
he decides to hold out to begin the season like Jacob Trouba did two years
ago, the Jets will have to retool their D-corp to compensate for his
absence.Who Would Play With Jacob Trouba?If Morrissey holds out to begin the
regular season, he leaves some big skates to fill. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA
TODAY Sports)

Morrissey has quickly become one of the Jets'; premier defensemen and made up
half of their top-line shutdown pairing - flanked by Trouba on his right side -
 in 2017-18. Perhaps the biggest question in case of a holdout is who would
slot in on Trouba';s left?

Morrissey logged big minutes against opponents'; best players last year,
averaging 20:27 per game and registering a plus-15 plus/minus rating. (Trouba,
in case you were curious, logged 21:54 per game and was plus-nine.)

Whoever would be given the daunting task of replacing the 2013 13th overall
draft pick would have big skates to fill - Morrissey';s contributions were
wide-ranging last year. He served up 139 hits with his 6-foot, 195-pound frame
and put himself in the line of fire regularly, amassing 168 blocked shots. He
also set career-highs in goals and assists, took a manageable 47 penalty
minutes, and only missed a single game.Jets'; Left Handed Options

The Jets have four left-handed defensemen at their disposal - Joe Morrow, Sami
Niku, Ben Chiarot, and Dmitry Kulikov.

Morrow, who the Jets signed to a one-year contract worth $1 million, likely
wouldn';t be the answer. The 23rd overall pick of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft has
played 121 games over four seasons, but has been primarily used as a depth
option or an extra man who can be called on in case of injury. Asking him to
suddenly morph into a top-line NHL defenseman and log 20-plus minutes per game
would be a fool';s errand.

Niku wouldn';t be suitable, either. While the compelling prospect had a
lights-out rookie campaign for the Manitoba Moose and is likely ready to make
the jump to the Jets, the Jets are a patient team that wouldn';t risk damaging
the speedy, puck-moving Finn';s development by rushing him to the top
pairing.MONTREAL, QC - Sami Niku is a highly-touted prospect and ripped up the
AHL last year, but the Jets aren';t the type of organization to throw him on
the top line. Besides, he still has to make the team. (Photo by Minas
Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Chiarot played some of his best hockey in the back half of 2017-18. He was
relegated to the press box to start the year but seized his opportunity when a
swarm of injury bugs came biting. He played so well, in fact, he stayed in the
lineup even when the d-corp recovered. Chiarot plays a heavy, physical game and
 should be a regular in 2018-19, but asking him to jump from play 15 minutes to
 20-plus may be too tall a task.Kulikov the Most Compelling Candidate

The most logical choice, in the event of a holdout, would be for the Jets to
slot in the most experienced of their left-handed defensemen. That';s Dmitry
Kulikov by a long shot - the veteran of nine NHL seasons has 569 games under
his belt.The best and most logical option to replace Morrissey is Dmitry
Kulikov. (Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)

Last year, the 27-year-old Russian was enjoying a nice bounce-back season after
 a tumultuous 2016-17 with the Buffalo Sabres where he was limited to 47 games
due to a freak injury before suffering another back injury that forced him to
miss the Jets'; final 20 regular season games and all but one playoff matchup.
Generally paired with Tyler Myers, he was effective overall and logged an
average of 17:04 per game.

He only produced 11 points last year and the last time he matched or bettered
Morrissey';s 2017-18 output of 27 was in 2011-12 with the Florida Panthers,
when he produced 28. He also isn';t as physical, registering 69 hits in his
first season with the Jets (his career high is 125). His durability is also a
question mark. Therefore, he wouldn';t be a perfect replacement.

He would, however, be the best choice. Prior to coming to the Jets, he played
an average of 20-plus minutes for six straight seasons, so he';s no stranger to
 a top-pairing D-man';s workload - never underestimate the power of experience.
 Perhaps he';d even respond positively to increased responsibility and
re-emerge as a top-four guy.Ripple Effects on the Right Side

While the Jets'; right-handed defensemen wouldn';t be influenced much by a
Morrissey holdout, that';s not to say there wouldn';t be any effects on them at
 all. Losing a left-handed defenseman would limit the possible partners for
Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers.

Byfuglien needs a new partner anyway - his long-time bosom buddy Tobias
Enstrom';s long-term relationship with the Jets ended on a sour note a few
months ago. When Enstrom was injured in 2017-18 - which was often - Chiarot
played alongside Byfuglien and the two found good chemistry. That partnership
was likely to become full time regardless, so even if Kulikov wasn';t an option
 to play with Byfuglien, it likely wouldn';t impact plans much.The Jets would
have to find a new partner for Tyler Myers if Kulikov jumped to the first
pairing. The Jets will want Myers to succeed as he is undoubtedly trade bait.
(Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports)

Perhaps a bigger concern would be separating Kulikov and Tyler Myers, who
played the majority of 2017-18 together and made a strong, efficient pairing.
 That would leave either Morrow or Niku as Myers'; new partner. The Jets will
want to choose Myers'; compatriot carefully - he';s in the final year of his
contract and the team will be likely be looking to deal him before their
incoming cap crunch. They';ll want him to do well to attract potential suitors
and maximize return from them.Don';t Hit the Panic Button... Just yet

Although Winnipeg Free Press sports columnist Paul Wiecek recently wrote
"it';s become not only conceivable but increasingly probable the Winnipeg Jets
 will head into September with Morrissey still unsigned, and training camp
looming," he also says it';s not quite time to freak out.There';s still time to
 get Morrissey signed. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

"There's no reason for panic yet," Wiecek continued. "There's lots of players
every year in Morrissey's situation who have headed into September unsigned,
only to get a deal done in the days leading up to training camp."

There';s no hint of any tension between Morrissey or his agent Gerry Johannson
 and Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. If Morrissey';s a smart guy,
which by all accounts he is, he will see what happened with the Trouba
situation, decide against a holdout, and get to work. Remember: holding out
actually cost Trouba money and damaged his relationship with the organization.

Morrissey is a huge part of the Jets'; future plans and a cornerstone they need
 to build around. The sooner they can get him locked up, the better. Going into
 the rapidly-approaching regular season sans Morrissey would be far from an
ideal situation - the Jets are much better with him in their lineup, make no
mistake. However, a holdout wouldn';t bring the Jets to their knees or quash
their playoff chances, either - they';ve got the guns to go to battle with
their opponents even with Morrissey in the arsenal.

The post Jets Options With a Morrissey Holdout appeared first on The Hockey
Writers.

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