Joe Morrow survived his first training camp in Montreal and will be on the Canadiens roster for opening night, though he's not expected to be among the top six defensemen. That could eventually happen if/when the Habs let Victor Mete go back to his junior team. Morrow, 24, is still young enough to rewrite the early opinions. He has the skating and puck skills to be an effective defender, but has had trouble with consistency. The Bruins had younger defensemen ready for the NHL and let Morrow walk. Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin was quick to pounce, no doubt getting the sign off from Morrow's former coach in Boston and current Montreal coach Claude Julien.
Morrow appeared in 33 games at the NHL level in 2015-16, notching one goal with six helpers for the B's. The 2011 first-rounder, who joined the team in the summer of 2013 in the Tyler Seguin trade, is at a key juncture of his pro career. Morrow, who turns 24 in December, has all the skating ability and puck skills he needs to flourish on the Bruins' blue line, but thus far he has yet to put it all together at the NHL level. Minimizing defensive mistakes, while confidently asserting his talents, will be key to Morrow reaching his potential as a pro. In that regard, he is in a good spot, with the Bruins acutely needing for some of their younger/developmental defenders to step up in 2016-17.
While B’s fans still feel the sting of the blockbuster trade that sent sniper Tyler Seguin to Dallas in the summer 2013, Morrow remains a wild card in the ultimate impact of the seemingly lopsided transaction. If the 22-year-old develops into a reliable top-four blueliner for the team, which is eventually within the realm of possibility, then the trade would become more palatable from Boston’s perspective. When injuries hit the Bruins last season, Morrow saw some time filling in on the team’s back line, and while he only scored one point during his 15 contests with the big club last season, he didn't look out of place at the NHL level. For Morrow to take the next step as a pro, he’ll need to morph from a young player focused on not making glaring errors to one who can use his smooth skating and promising puck-moving skills with more confidence. With that in mind, Morrow is set to compete with the likes of Zach Trotman, Colin Miller and Matt Irwin for blue line spots behind roster locks Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid. If Morrow secures a job with the Bruins to start the season, it’s not hard to imagine him seeing some power-play action when injuries hit, and in such a scenario, he could provide a degree of fantasy utility. In any case, the 2011 first-rounder continues to possess a good measure of untapped potential, and with the team’s personal changes this offseason, he has a solid opportunity to establish himself as an NHL regular sooner rather than later.
The Bruins seemingly boast a glut of NHL-caliber defensemen heading into 2014-15 season, so there’s not a ton of buzz surrounding Morrow’s short-term fantasy prospects. Still, along with the likes of David Warsofsky and Zach Trotman, Morrow isn’t that far off from NHL consideration. At 21, Morrow could probably benefit from additional AHL seasoning, but he showed promise in his first year in the Boston organization, recording 29 points in 56 AHL contests with Providence. While the jury is still out on the blockbuster trade that sent Tyler Seguin to Dallas last summer, if Morrow -- who projects as a puck-moving NHL blueliner down the road -- realizes his potential, the trade could start looking better for the Bruins, who also landed the surprising Reilly Smith and possible 2014-15 first-liner Loui Eriksson in the deal.
Morrow, who was the 23rd overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, projects as a mobile two-way blueliner at the NHL level, but the Bruins have enough depth on defense to bring the 20-year-old along slowly. He was traded to Boston as part of the seven-player deal that sent Tyler Seguin to the Stars.
Morrow nearly broke camp with the Penguins last year straight from the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. Morrow has tons of offensive potential and doesn't shy away from contact. In his third full WHL campaign, the 19-year-old defenseman scored 17 goals and 64 points in 62 games while also compiling 99 penalty minutes. Morrow carried his strong play over into the postseason, netting four goals and 17 points in 22 contests. Based upon experience, Morrow probably sits behind only Simon Despres as a young defender who figures to help Pittsburgh in 2012-13. Morrow excels on the power play and makes for a great pick in fantasy hockey, especially in keeper leagues.
Pittsburgh's 2011 first-round draft choice, Morrow will likely turn pro in the next couple seasons. Given the lack of top flight forward prospects within the system, Morrow's selection came as a bit of a surprise, given the team didn't have draft picks in the third or fourth round. Morrow is not seen as an offensive blueliner, but rather a two-way rearguard. As a result, there's no reason to rush out and buy him in keeper leagues.
