Josh Morrissey

Last Season

Fourteen goals and 41 assists in 77 games for 55 points, plus-six, on 24:43 a night — the heaviest workload on the roster. He played 67 percent of his five-on-five time with DeMelo, one of the most settled pairings in the league.

The Finesse Game

The skating is the foundation. He escapes forechecks by turning inside them, joins the rush as a fourth man without getting caught, and recovers when a play turns because he is quicker than the forwards chasing him.

The passing is excellent and it is where most of the offence comes from — long, flat outlets that hit a winger in stride, and a genuine ability to walk the offensive line and find a lane. Fourteen goals from a defenceman who is not the primary power-play option is a striking number.

He takes chances. Occasionally one costs a goal against, which is the price of a defenceman who creates this much.

The Physical Game

Six feet and 195, which is average, and he defends with position and stick rather than force. He is willing in front of his own net without being able to move a heavy centre out of it, and he takes a great deal of physical punishment for a player his size given the minutes.

The Intangibles

He has been this team’s best defenceman for years without ever winning the awards a player producing at this rate usually attracts, largely because of where he plays.

At thirty-one, with this workload and this style, the next few seasons are the peak. The pairing behind him is unsettled, which makes his availability the single most important variable on this roster.