Count Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey among those who are relieved that Winnipeg's anticipated offseason exodus was more or less kept to a minimum.

"To have (Mark Scheifele) and (Connor Hellebuyck) back is massive," he said Thursday, according to the Winnipeg Sun's Paul Friesen. "Outside of this year, who knows? ... But to have them here and to have the mindset that we're here to do some damage this season is what it's all about."

Scheifele and Hellebuyck are both pending unrestricted free agents who've been eligible for extensions since July 1. Hellebuyck, in particular, has had his future with the franchise called into question.

Reports surfaced in June that the Jets discussed Hellebuyck with the New Jersey Devils after the 2020 Vezina Trophy winner apparently wasn't interested in re-upping with Winnipeg.

However, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff recently stated his team's "singular focus is winning" with Scheifele and Hellebuyck. He expects both players to be in Winnipeg's opening-night lineup Oct. 11 against the Calgary Flames.

That was music to Morrissey's ears.

"The fact they're both here, I'll be the first guy in line to welcome them in the door," he said. "As a guy that's signed here for five years, I don't want any part of a rebuild at this time in my career."

The Jets' summer wasn't totally without seismic shifts, though. Winnipeg bought out former captain Blake Wheeler and shipped the beleaguered Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forwards Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, and a 2024 second-round pick.

The Dubois trade in particular stood out to Morrissey.

"The organization made it clear to us ... they aren't going the route of acquiring draft picks," he said. "They made a statement in acquiring players that are really good and are going to help us try to win games right now. That message coming from the team was awesome."

Morrissey enjoyed an emergent 2022-23 campaign in which he more than doubled his career high in points from 37 to 76. He also led the team in average ice time (24:14) by over two minutes. Morrissey tied Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes for the second-most points by a defenseman league-wide, trailing only Erik Karlsson. He finished fifth in Norris Trophy voting.

The 28-year-old signed an eight-year, $50-million extension with the Jets in September 2019.

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Matt and Blake discuss the comments of Elias Pettersson's agent saying they're going to wait until the end of the year before considering an extension, as well as the possibility of a Tyler Myers trade tomorrow after his bonus is paid out. The guys discuss Bob McKenzie's draft list with another Vancouver prospect ranked #1; Olli Juolevi on a PTO in Arizona, and the NHLPA looking into the cellphone matter with Mike Babcock and Columbus Blue Jackets players. Other topics include the Lions game Saturday and the stakes in the CFL West over the final third of the season; the Whitecaps signing another Canadian international; and the Vancouver Canadians splitting in Everett and coming home to hopefully win another Northwest League pennant. Rob Williams stops by to discuss Pettersson's future, Quinn Hughes' captaincy (and Glory Juice recipe), his pick to shine at this weekend's Young Stars tournament, and digital ads on rinkboards, which the NHL is defending in the most NHL way ever. Rick Campbell tells us how the Lions spent their bye week, what his self-scout turned up in terms of improvement for the final 6 games, the improving health of Bo Lokombo and his BC running mate Ben Hladik, and the eye he is keeping on Nathan Rourke down south with the NFL's Jaguars. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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The Ottawa Senators signed forward Josh Bailey to a professional tryout Thursday.

Bailey, 33, tallied eight goals and 25 points in 64 contests last season with the New York Islanders and averaged a career-low 15:08 minutes of ice time. He was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in June and subsequently bought out of the final year of his contract. Bailey was set to cost $5 million against the cap prior to his buyout.

The 15-year veteran has played his entire career with the Islanders since the team drafted him in 2008. He amassed 184 goals and 580 points in 1,057 contests on Long Island.

Bailey's best season came in 2017-18 when he scored 18 goals and 71 points in 76 games. He signed a six-year, $30-million contract after his career campaign.

The Senators have $895,953 of cap space should the team opt to sign Bailey, according to CapFriendly.

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The Colorado Avalanche are looking at goaltending options amid concerns over Pavel Francouz's availability to begin the season, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reports.

Francouz underwent adductor surgery in the offseason after starting just 16 games with the Avalanche last year. The 33-year-old posted an 8-7-1 record with a .915 save percentage in that span.

The Avalanche have four other netminders under contract - starter Alexandar Georgiev, plus prospects Justus Annunen, Arvid Holm, and Trent Miner.

Should Francouz miss time, only one of Colorado's backup options - Annunen - has NHL experience. The 23-year-old has played four games with the Avalanche over two seasons with a .859 SV%.

Jaroslav Halak, Brian Elliott, and Michael Hutchinson are the only goaltenders who remain free agents and played notable minutes in the NHL last season.

Halak, 38, backed up Igor Shesterkin with the New York Rangers in 2022-23. He had a 10-9-1 record in 25 appearances with a .903 SV%.

Elliott, also 38, was Andrei Vasilevskiy's No. 2 for the Tampa Bay Lightning over the past two seasons. Last year, Elliott started 22 games and had a .891 SV%. The 16-year veteran played part of the 2010-11 campaign with Colorado.

Hutchinson, 33, returned to NHL action after he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets prior to the trade deadline last year. He played 16 contests with the Blue Jackets, going 2-6-3 with a .875 SV%. Hutchinson notably played four games with the Avalanche in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Dallas Stars.

Colorado has $525,000 of cap space with Gabriel Landeskog's $7-million cap hit on long-term injured reserve, according to CapFriendly. The Avalanche would gain an extra $2 million of room if Francouz is out long enough to be placed on LTIR.

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Andrei Kuzmenko has forgone the sweet life in hopes of improving on his first campaign in North America.

"Last season was so bad for me, my weight," the Vancouver Canucks forward said this week, according to Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre. "Now, I lose weight. Last summer, I (ate) a lot of waffles."

Kuzmenko wasn't just eating waffles with maple syrup, either.

"No, (it's) worse," he said, layering his hands, one above the other. "Waffles, then Nutella, then strawberries, then bananas."

So the Russian winger cut them out of his diet and some other tempting treats.

"Waffles are not good for me," Kuzmenko added. "I like (them), but (they're) not good for me. This summer, (the) rules for me (were): No chocolate, no Nutella, no ice cream in my freezer. You want ice cream, then go to the market. But I (stayed) home."

Kuzmenko arrived at the Canucks training camp last fall noticeably out of shape after signing a one-year, $950,000 contract with Vancouver as a coveted free agent out of the KHL last July. The team's training staff placed him on an individual workout regimen that often forced him to stay later than his teammates after practices.

The 27-year-old racked up 39 goals and 35 assists while playing all but one regular-season game. However, Kuzmenko posted an inflated shooting percentage of 27.3, which led the NHL among players who suited up for at least 10 contests.

The Canucks inked Kuzmenko to a two-year contract extension at $5.5 million annually in January.

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The St. Louis Blues signed forward Nick Ritchie to a professional tryout, the team announced Thursday.

Ritchie split the 2022-23 season with the Arizona Coyotes and Calgary Flames, amassing 13 goals and 26 points in 74 outings. His best statistical season came in 2018-19 when he collected 31 points in 60 games with the Anaheim Ducks.

The Ducks selected him with the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. Ritchie spent the first five seasons of his career in Anaheim, but he's moved around quite a bit in recent years and suited up for four different teams - the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Coyotes, and Flames - over the last three campaigns.

Ritchie and his older brother, Brett, were traded for each other at the deadline in March, with Nick heading to Calgary from the desert alongside defenseman Troy Stecher.

The 27-year-old has scored 84 goals and 186 points in 481 career NHL games.

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