To Morrow, future’s now
Makes bid to stick
Joe Morrow came to the Bruins organization with a reputation as a high risk high reward defenseman. And though he arrived with a first-round pedigree as the 23rd overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, there was a feeling that Morrow would have to incubate for a while in the AHL with Providence.
Well, Morrow has spent most of two years down on the farm since being acquired in the Tyler Seguin trade from the Dallas Stars — he and right winger Loui Eriksson are the two pieces remaining from that deal — and he showed in a 15-game NHL stint last season that he’s on the cusp of making it with the B’s. He scored his first NHL goal and was plus3 for the 15 games.
With training camp underway, Morrow is hoping to show off some of the things that made him such a high pick in the first place.
“I felt really good (about his time in NHL in 2014-15). I talked it over with management and with my dad, my mom, everybody,” Morrow said. “And I felt like when I had my first game and my first opportunity to show them, I really had to solidify my position as a defenseman. Not a defenseman that’s a defensive liability. I feel like in those 15 games, I really put my foot in the door as being a confident, reliable defenseman to where now I can have some leniency toward the offensive side of things and take a little more risk like I’m used to. But I still have that in my back pocket that I know and I’m confident as a defenseman as well.”
Coach Claude Julien would like to see Morrow bring what he is capable of bringing to the table. Julien would also like to see the easy-going Morrow feel the sense of urgency when it’s required.
“There’s a lot of good things about Joe. I think he’s a great skater and you know he can move up the ice well, he’s got a good shot,” Morrow said. “I think at times it’s about really taking some of those risky plays, and you know his strength and maybe part of his weakness are the same. He’s a real calm individual which is a strength. When a guy doesn’t panic it’s great. But sometimes you’re too calm and it gets you in trouble. So he’s got to find that fine line I think that’s going to kind of take away those situations where he’s a little too calm. But other than that, like I said, he skates well, he shoots well, you know he’s a good player and he’s one of those players who’s right now in the mix to start on our back end.”
As of now, Morrow is on the outside looking at the group of defensemen who project to be in the lineup. There are seven defensemen with one-way deals — Zdeno Chara, Zach Trotman, Dennis Seidenberg, Kevan Miller, Adam McQuaid, Torey Krug and Matt Irwin. Morrow, like fellow prospect Colin Miller, can be sent to Providence without having to pass through waivers, which doesn’t exactly help his cause.
However, general manager Don Sweeney has made it clear that if a player deserves to be on the team, room will be made. And Julien has said that the team could very well carry eight defensemen when camp breaks, though the organization may not want a 22-year-old prospect like Morrow sitting in the press box if he doesn’t crack the top six.
Morrow is entering his fourth pro season. In his first campaign, while he was playing for the Penguins’ AHL affiliate in WilkesBarre/Scranton, he was a part of trade package that went to Dallas for veteran forward Brenden Morrow. Then in the summer of 2013, he was part of the blockbuster Seguin deal.
This very well could be the year that he makes the leap to the NHL and, yes, he’s starting to taste it a little bit. But he’s taking care to touch all the bases before he gets to home.
“Being 22 years old, it’s still pretty new to me and still a pretty big dream to play in the National Hockey League, so if I can accomplish that at any time in the near future it’ll be a success for me,” Morrow said. “I’m a pretty patient human being, and it works to a certain extent. But you have to put a little extra effort in because you are getting a little anxious and a little closer to your goal. So, yeah, I guess you could say that patience is running thin. At the same time, you have to keep a level head and just do what you’re supposed to do.”