Yet another young former Boston Bruins player has refrained from the NHL action. At the age of 27, former Bruins defenseman Joe Morrow terminated his contract in North America and signed a deal in the KHL. The Bruins acquired Morrow in an infamous deal that saw Tyler Seguin head to the Dallas Stars in 2013.
Morrow had a turbulent career in the NHL. Drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round as the 23rd overall player, he ended up playing in only 162 NHL games.
Earlier in 2013, the Penguins traded him to the Stars, who then included him in the trade package for Seguin. In Boston, Morrow made his NHL debut in the 2014-15 season. Ironically, he scored his first NHL goal against the Penguins, who drafted and initially traded him.
After four full seasons in the Bruins organization, Boston let Morrow walk away as an unrestricted free agent. In 2017, Morrow signed a one-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens. Ahead of the trade deadline in 2018, the Habs traded him to the Winnipeg Jets where he suited up for 65 total games over a season and a half.
This summer, he attended the New York Rangers’ training camp but failed to land a contract. The New Jersey Devils eventually signed him to a two-way contract. However, the struggling Devils didn’t see Morrow as an answer to their issues, resulting in contract termination.
Drafted in the first round, the Edmonton native played in seven different NHL destinations (Pittsburgh, Dallas, Boston, Montreal, Winnipeg, Rangers, New Jersey).
On Monday, the 27-year-old left-shot defenseman signed a two-year deal with the Dinamo Minsk in the KHL. Morrow will join Ryan Spooner, his former Bruins teammate from 2014-2017. On the same trade deadline in 2018, Spooner was traded to the Rangers from Boston, while Morrow ended up in Winnipeg from Montreal.
Now, both 27-year-olds will meet and defend the Dinamo Minsk from Belarus in the KHL. Spooner has found his groove in Minsk, collecting 16 points in 17 games.
