Josh Morrissey isn't ready to call last season anything more than a fluke, and he's putting real belief behind the idea that Winnipeg bounces right back.
The Jets won the Presidents' Trophy the season before, then missed the playoffs entirely last year with just 82 points, only the fifth time in league history a defending Presidents' Trophy winner has missed the postseason the following year.
Speaking with Murat Ates of The Athletic, Morrissey made clear he sees last season as an aberration, not the start of a real decline.
"I feel like we have a chance to get back to where we were a year before, back to fighting with the best in the league, having a chance to lift the Stanley Cup," Morrissey said. "As a player, that's all you ask for, to be part of a team with a group of guys who are motivated to fight for the Cup. I believe in our team."
Winnipeg finished 35-35-12 for 82 points last season, 26th overall, a genuinely steep fall from Presidents' Trophy form.
Much of what happens next depends on what's in front of the net. Connor Hellebuyck needs to return to Vezina-caliber form, but more immediately, he simply needs to stay with the organization.
Why Hellebuyck's future still looms over the season
Trade rumors swirled around Hellebuyck at the end of last season. Darren Dreger of TSN reported Hellebuyck wouldn't necessarily oppose a move, and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff never confirmed or denied whether his goaltender had actually requested a trade.
Those rumors picked up further once Winnipeg signed Stuart Skinner on July 1st, seemingly building in insurance in case Hellebuyck moved on.
Since then, the noise has quieted considerably, and Morrissey is clearly hoping that trend continues.
"You can't believe everything you hear," Morrissey said on the situation. "In the end, I hope Helle will be back with us. He's the best goalie in the world. But what happens, or doesn't happen, whatever that ends up being, that's between him, his agent, and the organization."
Hellebuyck posted an .895 save percentage across 57 games last season, still capable of stealing games even in a rough team-wide year.
With training camp still a month away, nothing about his future is settled. But Morrissey's read on this team suggests the belief in the room hasn't wavered, regardless of how the goaltending situation ultimately resolves itself.
Will the Jets return to championship contention if Connor Hellebuyck stays in Winnipeg?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
The Leafs' newest acquisition just exposed what's really happening in Toronto
