Josh Norris was a great acquisition when the Sabres acquired him from the Senators for Dylan Cozens at the Trade Deadline earlier this March. Since he was acquired, however, Norris has missed more games due to injury than he has played.
It has been announced that in the past, Norris has dealt with quite a few shoulder injuries during his time in Ottawa. Team doctors revealed that Norris is dealing with an undisclosed injury. He missed the game Sunday against Winnipeg due to this injury, and the Sabres' medical staff is assessing his condition. As of now, there is no official update on when Norris will return.
It leaves this up for speculation as to what Norris’s injury could be. With just 15 games left in the season, we have no idea how many more games Norris will suit up for this season.
This leads me to believe that the Sabres may have other plans for Norris, whether it's holding him out till next season, or possibly trading him in the offseason.
Norris could be a part of a big offseason trade
Kevyn Adams has talked about bringing in NHL-ready during the offseasons going forward as he attempts to build a contender in Buffalo. This past offseason, Adams made some great trades acquiring Bowen Byram and Ryan McLeod.
Byram has become a top defenseman on the team and is on the 1st defensive pairing with Rasmus Dahlin. McLeod started on the third line this season and is now making his presence felt on the second line as he is on pace for a 50-point season.
I think Norris could very well be on the move, Elias Pettersson is a name that has popped up as the Sabres want to bring a star in to pair with Tage Thompson. Pettersson is having a down year in Vancouver but has been linked to a few off-season deals.
The Sabres could also go after a player like Nazem Kadri, Kadri has been wasting his talent in Calgary these past couple of years as the Flames have been slightly below average during that time.
The 34-year-old has some good years left as he has 26 goals, and 26 assists on the season. He also brings a lot of playoff experience and a Stanley Cup title with him as well. Thompson and Peterka would love playing with Kadri as he is always looking for an open pass and can net a goal whenever he needs to.
Personally, I don’t know if the Sabres want to keep Josh Norris this offseason, it feels like they are letting the younger guys see how the roster shakes out. Such as Tyler Kozak and Isak Rosen getting ice time, which they are getting because Norris is out.
It's been almost two weeks and this “undisclosed injury” has yet to make any progress. At this point, it seems more likely that Norris will be gone in the offseason, and if that means that the Sabres can bring in a star player, I am all for it.