Josh Norris was a more active participant in Tuesday's Buffalo Sabres practice session, but head coach Lindy Ruff said the center isn't quite ready for game action. He's been sidelined with an upper-body injury since the team's season-opening loss to the New York Rangers on Oct. 9
"Not quite ready yet, but just trying to keep progressing," Ruff told reporters, adding it's possible Norris returns for one of the club's weekend games: Friday afternoon against the New Jersey Devils or Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild.
Once the 26-year-old former Ottawa Senators standout is cleared to play, he's going to face ample pressure to break a multiyear trend of injury setbacks that have prevented him from reaching the potential he flashed early in his NHL career with the Sens.
Norris has appeared in just four games since Buffalo acquired him from Ottawa in March. It's led the criticism of general manager Kevyn Adams for giving up key assets, including center Dylan Cozens and a second-round draft pick, for a player with such an extensive injury history.
Josh Norris can change his career narrative by staying on the ice and helping the Buffalo Sabres break a 14-year playoff drought
In September, Norris expressed optimism he'd be able to shake the injury-prone label to emerge as a key piece of the puzzle for the Sabres.
"Stay healthy," he told Rachel Lenzi of the Buffalo News about his 2025-26 goal. "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."
That lasted just 19 minutes of ice time before he landed on injured reserve for seven weeks.
Norris does have game-changing upside when healthy. It was on full display during his 2021-22 season with the Senators when he tallied 55 points (35 goals and 20 assists) in 66 games.
That was four years ago, however, and the 66 appearances remain a career-high total. He also scored a more modest 37 goals in 106 outings across his final two years in Ottawa.
So, it's fair to wonder whether the 2017 first-round pick is capable of getting back to that high-end level of play he displayed in 2021-22. The injuries merely further cloud his future outlook.
Yet, the Sabres don't have much option beyond sliding Norris immediately back into a key role and hoping for the best.
For what it's worth, Buffalo's forward lines looked far more competitive with the 2021 NHL All-Rookie Team selection on the second line and Tage Thompson staying at center in practice:
- Josh Doan — Tage Thompson — Alex Tuch
- Zach Benson — Josh Norris — Noah Ostlund
- Jason Zucker — Ryan McLeod — Jack Quinn
- Peyton Krebs — Tyson Kozak — Beck Malenstyn
Is that the best group in the league? Of course not. Is it a more complete group than Buffalo has sent on the ice in years? Yes.
So the question becomes, is a roster that's finally getting healthy after a barrage of injuries combined with the Blue and Gold's recently improved play (four wins in their past five games) enough to believe the Sabres can begin to climb the Eastern Conference standings?
The answer will play out in the coming weeks, but it'd be hard to blame any Buffalo sports fans for getting excited about their hockey team for the first time since the 2022-23 surge, which fell one point short of the postseason.
Norris can play a pivotal role in that potential turnaround but he must stay healthy, and that's proven difficult for him over the past handful of years.