The Winnipeg Jets have signed an RFA to a long-term deal, but it wasn’t Patrik Laine or Kyle Connor. Rather, it was Josh Morrisey.
The Winnipeg Jets have signed defensemen Josh Morrissey to an eight-year, $50 million deal that will keep the 24-year-old under team control through the 2027-28 season. He is still under his current deal, so this deal will not go into effect until the 2020-21 season.
Morrissey’s deal makes him the third-highest-paid player on the Jets (although the team has several high profile remaining RFAs), rewarding the young left-handed defensemen after just 223 NHL games. He’s also their second-highest-paid defenseman. Only Dustin Byfuglien ($7.6 million cap hit) makes more annually on the Jets blueline.
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For the Jets, this is a pretty good deal. Morrissey is a key part of their blueline. With a questionable future on their defense, he should provide some stability. And if his offense continues to grow, Morrissey could become a top-pairing caliber defenseman.
Morrissey has logged 77 career points, including 19 goals, across his first three full NHL seasons. Before suffering an upper body injury in late February, he really seemed to be taking a huge step forward in his game.
He posted a career-high 31 points in 2018-19, despite only playing 59 games (a 42.6 point 82-game-pace). Morrissey played with Byfuglien on the Jets’ top pair, averaging 22:24 minutes per-game, and with the departure of Jacob Trouba, Morrissey will be asked to continue his top-line minutes and production.
The eight-year deal is comparable to the contracts of some of the best young defensemen in the NHL including Esa Lindell and Brady Skjei. If Morrissey continues to progress, and the NHL salary cap continues to rise, his contract could be considered team-friendly in the near future.
Overall, this deal gives Morrissey longterm financial security, while giving the Winnipeg Jets much needed contract certainty. With just over $15 million in projected cap-room, the Jets will now turn to locking down RFA forwards Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine.