There’s no denying it, Josh Morrissey is blossoming into a star defensmen right before our eyes. His game continued to improve during his third season as he posted multiple career high numbers despite playing the fewest games of his career. While it was a strong season overall for Morrissey, his injury near the end of the season is a bit concerning. At least the fears settled down after having a decent performance in the playoffs. With one year left on his contract, Morrissey’s play should dictate a large raise for his next deal. The 2019-2020 season will be a big one for Morrissey as he will be looking to prove his worth as a true number one defensemen.

Morrissey signed a two year bridge deal for $3.150 million per year right before training camp last year. While many people were hoping to see a long-term deal for Morrissey, he opted for a bridge deal and it seems to be paying off for him. He put up a stellar season and proved just how valuable he was to the team as they began to falter down the stretch without him in the lineup. With one more year left on the current deal, Morrissey is eligible to sign an extension as of July 1. While there will be more time down the road to examine what a new contract might look like, for now, the one thing for sure is that Morrissey will be looking for a huge raise with his next deal.

As you can see, the Jets were a much more dangerous team with Morrissey on the ice. His ability to hold the line along the left point and issue an accurate pass to across the ice to Trouba leads to that large island of red at the right point.

When looking at some of the other advanced stats, Morrissey was among the Jets’ best. Per moneypuck.com, Morrissey was second on the team in xGoals% at 50.1% and only Byfuglien was ahead of him with 51.4%.

Even the eye test went well for Morrissey this season. The Jets were a turnover machine in their own zone for most of the season, but Morrissey was arguably the best defensemen at getting the puck out with control. His smooth skating and smart decision making is a great combination in his own end of the ice.

 

Perhaps the most anticipated part of the playoffs this season was the chance to see Morrissey back in the lineup. He went down with an upper body injury on February 4 against Arizona. The initial timeline didn’t look good but he was able to return for game one against the Blues. There was an absolute mountain of expectations heaped upon him as the playoffs began and he delivered his usual game, a smart, simple style that has a positive impact on the team.

As mentioned at the beginning of the post, Morrissey is in for rather large raise when he signs his next contract. He is eligible to sign an extension as of this summer but he will likely want to wait until the end of next season before he inks the deal. Morrissey will have four full seasons under his belt by that point and betting on himself is likely the best route to take for the young star. The hope for the team is that they are able to sign Morrissey to a long-term deal and be able to keep him around for a many years as he turns into a bonafide number one defensemen.