Sabres center Josh Norris knows he has a lot to prove after several injury-filled seasons, including a 2024-25 campaign where he made just three appearances for Buffalo after arriving in a blockbuster trade that sent Dylan Cozens to the Ottawa Senators.
Norris, who's recovered from the oblique injury that cut his first foray with the Sabres short, is aiming to stay off the injury list in 2025-26.
"Stay healthy," he told Rachel Lenzi of the Buffalo News about his goal for the season. "I've had my fair share of injuries the last few years, and hopefully, I've got that out of the way. It's in the past. I haven't really thought at all about that. It's a new year. I'm looking forward to being a big contributor."
Norris has never played more than 66 games in an NHL season, and he's missed 132 contests over the last three years combined. So it's fair to say staying on the ice has been his biggest challenge.
Buffalo Sabres' offensive outlook improves greatly if Josh Norris stays healthy in 2025-26
The 2017 first-round pick looked like a superstar in the making early in his Senators tenure. He arrived to Ottawa as a prospect as part of the package for All-Star defenseman Erik Karlsson.
Norris finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting as a rookie with 35 points (17 goals and 18 assists) in 56 games during the 2020-21 season. He followed that up by scoring 35 goals in 66 appearances during the 2021-22 campaign.
The Sens rewarded him with an eight-year, $63.6 million contract the subsequent offseason, but he's been able to avoid the injury bug over the past three seasons.
Norris was limited to eight outings in 2022-23 because of serious shoulder issues, and he fell below the 60-game mark each of the last two seasons.
The 26-year-old Michigan native is now on a quest to show he can still be a high-impact player for Buffalo.
"With the amount of time that I've missed over the last three or four years, I still really feel that I have a lot to prove," Norris told Lenzi. "Just to prove it to myself. That's the thing I'm most excited about, individually."
He added: "It's a fully new season. “The guys look good. I'm ready to work and compete. I'm ready to go."
One thing's for sure: The Sabres desperately need Norris to avoid any long-term absences.
The 6-foot-1 center is currently slotted in as the team's top-line center alongside goal-scoring sensation Tage Thompson and rising star Zach Benson. He leads a group in the middle of the ice that also includes Ryan McLeod, Jiri Kulich and Peyton Krebs, which is a solid quartet on paper.
Although Buffalo's projected lineup looks promising on paper, especially for a team riding a 14-year playoff drought, things can break down quickly if it's No. 1 center succumbs to the injury bug again.
When that happened last season, Kulich was forced into a first-line role he was quite ready for as a rookie. The other option is sliding Thompson back to center from the wing, but head coach Lindy Ruff has shown a strong preference to keep the superstar on the outside.
Quite simply, the Sabres don't have the impact depth necessary to overcome key injuries. In turn, the onus is on Norris to stay healthy and get back toward his 35-goal form.
If he can do that, Buffalo's offense should thrive and the team will have the potential to make some noise in the Eastern Conference playoff race.