Jets relatively healthy along the blue-line

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This article was published 09/04/2018 (2713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets are getting closer to a completely healthy roster if Monday’s practice at Bell MTS Iceplex was an accurate gauge.

Defenceman Jacob Trouba was a full participant in the workout after missing Winnipeg’s regular-season ending victory over the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday night. Trouba had tweaked an old ankle injury but head coach Paul Maurice gave him the all clear for Wednesday’s Game 1 of a Western Conference first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Wild.

Another blue-liner, veteran Toby Enstrom, isn’t as fortunate. He’s missed eight games with a lower-body injury and will not dress Wednesday. Maurice said Enstrom, who hasn’t been skating, could be ready to go for Friday’s Game 2.

Meanwhile, forward Matt Hendricks (lower body) was back at practice but wearing a non-contact jersey. He is unlikely to be ready for active duty any time soon.

Trouba will rejoin sophomore standout Josh Morrissey on the club’s top defence pairing.

“It’s great to have Trouby healthy,” said Morrissey. “I mean, he’s an outstanding player and he’s a huge part of our back end and for me personally. He’s been my partner for most of the year when he’s been healthy and I think we have a really good chemistry together.”

Trouba has missed 27 games with various ailments but Morrissey expects the old chemistry to return immediately.

“That’s a pretty big chunk of the season we played together the whole way,” said Morrissey. “There really isn’t an adjustment period. He’s a really easy guy to play with and he makes the game easy.”

Morrissey, 23, will be playing his first NHL playoff game but he has experience in the post-season. He played 21 playoff games in his Western Hockey League career and 20 more for the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps in 2013-14.

He relishes a chance to debut on the NHL’s biggest stage.

“It’s not so much a… feeling of being anxious of anything like that,” said Morrissey. “It’s fun playing in big games. I love playing in big games and the Stanley Cup playoffs is a whole other level. I’m sure there will be some excitement coming out, some butterflies coming out at our ‘Whiteout’ on Wednesday and you just have to manage your emotions. Sort of get into the game right away.”

The trade-deadline day acquistion of Joe Morrow looms particularly large now. Morrow, obtained in what was thought to be a minor deal with the Montreal Canadiens for a fourth-round draft pick in 2018, is expected to be paired with Dustin Byfuglien in Enstrom’s absence.

Ben Chiarot and Tyler Myers will form a similarly formidable third pairing.

The prospect of injured blue-liner Dmitri Kulikov (back) being available at any time for the playoffs is indefinite.

“He’s missed one game,” said Maurice of Morrow. “He got brought in, in some ways as an extra defenceman, depth is a better word, and he played (almost) every game. All of these teams are going to suffer injuries in the first game and these players are going to play really important minutes.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14