Despite outproducing several stars ranked above him, Winnipeg’s elite blueliner tumbled down the charts, sparking debate over whether the league's experts overlooked his true defensive value.
In a recent ranking, NHL Network released its list of the top defencemen in the league, with Winnipeg Jets star Josh Morrissey landing at 16th following a subtle dip in production this past season.
After recording more than 60 points in each of the previous three seasons, Morrissey had established himself as one of the league's premier offensive defencemen, climbing as high as sixth on NHL Network's list a year ago.
That reputation made his placement outside the top 15 this time around a bit of a surprise to some, even if the underlying numbers tell a fairly straightforward story.
Morrissey's production dropped to 55 points this past season, a decline that, while modest in the grand scheme, was enough to see the 31-year-old Calgary native fall ten spots down the rankings.
Among the defenders ranked ahead of Morrissey are Jake Sanderson at eighth overall, Adam Fox at 13th and Brock Faber at 14th, all three of whom actually finished the season with fewer points than the Jets blueliner.
That detail alone raised eyebrows among Winnipeg fans and Morrissey backers, who could argue his offensive resume still stacks up against several names now ranked above him. Even the player directly ahead of him, Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi at 15th, matched Morrissey's total of 55 points exactly but had far worse defensive numbers.
Morrissey remains the unquestioned top defenseman on a Jets team that has established itself as one of the more consistent contenders in the Western Conference, and his ice time, powerplay role and overall usage in Winnipeg have shown no signs of diminishing. While NHL Network believes he's taken a step back, it doesn't appear that is the case in the slightest.
Regardless, it's a placement that figures to draw scrutiny, particularly given the names now sitting ahead of him on the list, and one that Morrissey will likely look to answer with a bounce-back campaign next season.
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