Jets' Josh Morrissey '100% ready' to go after playoff injury

After suffering a lower-body injury during Game 3 of Winnipeg's first-round series versus Vegas last spring, Josh Morrissey says he’s feeling no ill effects and will be ready to go once training camp begins.

"I'm 100% ready to go," Morrissey told NHL.com this weekend. "No lingering issues at all."

The Jets' top defenseman was injured after an awkward collision with Golden Knights blueliner Zach Whitecloud just minutes into Game 3, and would go on to miss Winnipeg’s following two contests as the club bowed out under tumultuous circumstances in five games.

Even more difficult, according to Morrissey, was the timetable of the injury itself.

"It was kind of a four-to-six week timeline," the 28-year-old said at a charity event. "Obviously, it's kind of the worst time of year to get hurt. (You) play all year and compete to have that opportunity in the playoffs. But at the same time, in a way it's better that you have months to recover and you're not rushing back."

Now heading into his ninth NHL season, Morrissey steps in as the Jets' undisputed No. 1 blueliner, breaking out last season to the tune of 16 goals and 76 points in 78 games. Those marks all represented career highs, as well as franchise records for defencemen in all three categories for the Jets 2.0.

That success also earned the Calgary, AB native considerable Norris Trophy buzz as the league’s top defenseman, earning multiple first-place votes en route to finishing fifth.

"Josh really broke out as a true No. 1 last year," added Jets forward Adam Lowry. "He's going to continue kind of on that trajectory and maintain that level of play."

As for the Jets, they’ll look dramatically different once training camp opens in early September. The club moved on from top-six staple Pierre Luc-Dubois in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings for a package of young players, then days later placed their longtime captain Blake Wheeler on unconditional waivers for the purposes of a buyout, with the 36-year-old departing for Broadway on a one-year pact with the New York Rangers.

The futures of star forward Mark Scheifele and franchise goalie Connor Hellebuyck remain uncertain, too.

Despite the changes and uncertainty, Morrissey says the team recognized changes were on the horizon after a disappointing conclusion to their season. Optimism, however, reigns supreme in Winnipeg, as the blueliner says he’s anxiously awaiting the start of another regular season.

"I think everyone knew there were probably some changes on the horizon. There always is in the NHL," he said. "We knew there would probably be some big moves. Disappointing that we couldn't do more with the group we had because we felt we probably could've. Just more motivation for the future.

"It was a disappointing finish getting hurt in the first round. I'm healed up, healthy and ready to go for next year."