Bjugstad has been sidelined since October 5th but will travel on the Penguins upcoming road-trip, which starts Tuesday in Florida. There's no indication whether or not Bjugstad will play on the trip but this is a step in the right direction for the 27-year-old centre.
Gregor was a fourth-round pick in 2016 and had three points (1G / 2A) in three AHL games before being recalled. He spent last year in the WHL, scoring 43 goals with 45 assists (88 points) in 63 games.
Morrissey missed Saturday’s game against the Islanders with an upper-body injury and was held out of Tuesday’s game for “precautionary reasons.” Morrissey has played 26:01 ATOI in his first two games as the team’s No.1 defenseman and will be back on the top-pair and top PP tonight.
Morrissey missed Sunday’s game with an upper-body injury and will miss Tuesday’s game despite taking part in practice on Monday. The Jets are also without Dmitry Kulikov (personal), so Sami Niku and Nelson Nogier were recalled from Manitoba (AHL). Morrissey should be back in vs. the Wild on Thursday.
Namestnikov had 11 goals and 20 assists (31 points) in 78 games with the Rangers last season. He has been held pointless through two games this season but has been buried in the Rangers bottom-6. With Ottawa, Namestnikov has a chance to carve out a top-6 role and that will go a long way in revamping his fantasy value.
Morrissey missed Sunday’s game against the Islanders but was back at practice this morning and could be back in the lineup on Tuesday. Morrissey skated on the top pair and top power-play unit, which is a good sign for him suiting up in Pittsburgh. Morrissey has averaged an absurd 26:01 TOI/gm through two games on the Jets' new-look blueline.
Both Bjugstad and Evgeni Malkin are expected to miss extended periods of time with lower-body injuries. The Penguins were deep down the middle heading into the season and now will have to rely on players like Jared McCann and Teddy Blueger to centre their middle-6. Bjugstad has missed at least 15 games in three of the last four years.
Morrissey took part in warmups and was even announced in the starting lineup before being a late-scratch with an upper-body injury. The Jets blueline can ill afford to lose Morrissey, who is their clear No.1 defenseman right now. The Jets are back in action on Tuesday, so monitor Morissey's status heading into Pittsburhg.
Connor was looking for term and he got it. The 22-year-old winger has scored 30-plus goals in back-to-back seasons and set a new career-high in points (66) in 2018-19. Connor is expected to be a fixture on the Jets top-line with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler again in 2019-20 and should have no trouble approaching 30 goals again.
Morrissey set a new career-high in points (31) despite playing in just 59 games in 2019. With Jacob Trouba now in New York, Morrissey is expected to handle the PP2 duties in 2020, which gives him a potential boost in value. He should be viewed as a reserve fantasy defenseman heading into drafts.
The Jets acquired Pionk from the Rangers as a part of the Jacob Trouba trade and signed the RFA defenseman to a two-year contract. Pionk had six goals and 20 assists (26 points) in 73 games last season and will likely open the 2020 season on the Jets second or third pairing.
Fleury split the 2019 campaign between the AHL and NHL but is set to become a full-time NHLer in 2020. Fleury had just one assist in 20 NHL games a year ago but brings great size (6-foot-3, 208 lbs.) and excellent skating ability to the Hurricanes bottom-4.
Pionk had six goals and 20 assists (26 points) in 73 games with the Rangers in his first full NHL season in 2018-19. Like Trouba, Pionk is also a restricted free agent on July 1st, but will command a lot less money and will allow the Jets to get Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor this offseason. Winnipeg loses a top-pairing defenseman and get a player who looks like nothing more than a third-pairing player with modest offensive-upside.
Nyquist’s wife gave birth to their child in Detroit but Nyquist is expected to be back for Game 3 in Colorado. Nyquist has performed well for the Sharks in the postseason, scoring one goal on 10 shots with three assists in nine games.
