Morrissey embraced challenge in 2019-20, ready to move forward

WINNIPEG - What the 2019-20 season gave the Winnipeg Jets simply cannot be described by any hockey insider, coach and certainly not the players who witnessed it firsthand in the Manitoba capital.

But Josh Morrissey gave it a good effort on Wednesday afternoon.

"It was just a lot of adversity from the start of training camp. Losing potentially our best player, certainly our best defenceman, veteran in Buff (Dustin Byfuglien). You know that was tough. Obviously even before that, just the changeover on the backend and throughout our lineup," said Morrissey.

"It seemed like we started losing guys who had been consistent pieces of our lineup for a while and then obviously Bryan's (Little) injury. We had so many things in there. We had a bunch of injuries, a pandemic in there, you know. Let's throw that in there too."

Speaking of Bryan Little, the jets veteran forward spoke earlier in the day and from the sounds of it the door possibly has remained open to Little's return for the 2020-21. Morrissey touched on just how difficult it was without Little's presence in the room and on the ice as well.

"When I think of Littsy and my relationship with him, he's just an amazing person. His work ethic, the type of guy he is. I feel like you really couldn't find a better guy. So to see him have that injury and to struggle with it this year, obviously you feel bad no matter who it was but it feels that much worse because it is Littsy," said Morrissey.

"Obviously he's such a big part of our team on the ice of course but off the ice just having him around in the room it just feels like how he should just be there. I also think it was just a huge, huge loss for us on the ice. I felt like he was playing great hockey."

As much as Morrissey doesn't want to go through another season like the one the Jets just went through, he feels there are lessons to be learned from the past 10 months. Especially on a personal note from a campaign where he had to adjust to a new defence partner and wearing a letter for the first time in his NHL career.

"Going into a new stage of my career last season. Sort of getting out of the young player sort of position to being a leader, veteran guy on the team," said Morrissey.

"I noticed a difference in the games in my strength level, in my fitness level compared to last season. Certainly the mental side of the game and the mental side of being a person as well . Obviously trying to work on that all the time."

The Calgary product has seen his ice time go up in each of his four full NHL seasons from 19:29 in 2016-17 to 22:46 this past campaign. In 2020-21, he will enter the first year of his new contract which will pay him an average of 6.25 million dollars for the next eight seasons. The pressure will be on to improve on an already impressive career in Winnipeg.

"I want to prove myself, improve what I can do in the league and show what I can do in the league and try and become the best player I can be," said Morrissey.

"In my opinion at the end of the day, the end of your career all you can really do is become the best player you can be and try to win the cup or as many cups as you can. That's really how you are judged and obviously the type of teammate and person you are."

As different as a season as this one was, the next one could be even more unique with the salary cap staying the same and the amount of expiring contracts for current players on the Jets. As many as 11 players are entering unrestricted free agency this off-season but with that being said, Morrissey feels optimistic about the future.

"We have a bunch of (expiring) contracts which is something that isn't really new for our team and most teams around the league. I mean I don't know exactly the situation of all the teams but I think with the way the NHL is, teams are always going to be in situations like that," said Morrissey.

"Again I don't know the numbers but we might be on the high end or whatever but I would guess we're probably not the only team who are in a situation like that. I feel like we have players who are in the prime of their career, I think our younger players are starting to get into the prime of their career."