The Buffalo Sabres acquired center Josh Norris from the Ottawa Senators as part of a deal for fellow forward Dylan Cozens ahead of last year's NHL trade deadline. He may be on the move again.
Andy Strickland, an NHL insider who covers the St. Louis Blues for FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, reported Wednesday that Norris could be on the trade block ahead of Friday's 2026 deadline.
"Buffalo has some quality prospects and I'm sure teams would be focusing on guys like Konsta Helenius and Radim Mrtka," Strickland wrote. "Josh Norris is a guy off of their current roster and a name you hear should they find a trade partner and make a significant move."
Norris, who has an extensive injury history, has battled a variety of ailments that have limited him to 23 appearances for Buffalo this season. That said, he's been highly effective for the Sabres when healthy, tallying 20 points (eight goals and 12 assists).
He'd represent a high-risk, high-reward acquisition if another team decides make a deal for the 26-year-old centerman over the next two days.
Could Josh Norris be part of the Buffalo Sabres' blockbuster offer for the St. Louis Blues' Robert Thomas ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline?
The first thing that comes to mind, especially since Strickland is in tune with the Blues' thinking, is that Norris could be part of the package for Robert Thomas. The Sabres have been heavily linked to the St. Louis center over the past 24 hours.
Would the Blues consider a package like Josh Norris, Konsta Helenius, Isak Rosen and a 2026 first-round draft pick? That's a lot of value, especially if St. Louis' front office isn't scared away by the Sabres star's injury-riddled past.
Buffalo would also likely be more willing to consider that type of deal than one involving defenseman Owen Power, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
That said, a Norris trade wouldn't necessarily need to involve the Blues.
Moving the University of Michigan product, whose contract carries a $7.95 million salary-cap hit through 2029-30, elsewhere would make for a pretty clean financial exchange if the Sabres then acquire Thomas ($8.125 million cap hit through 2030-31) in a separate trade.
As it stands, landing Thomas without moving significant salary out is possible in the short term, but it would virtually guarantee Buffalo can't re-sign Alex Tuch over the summer. The Syracuse-born winger is looking for a long-term extension in the neighborhood of $10.5 million annually.
Making the No. 1 center switch from Thomas to Norris, in the same deal or separate ones, keeps the idea of bringing back Tuch in the conversation, though it'd still be super tricky financially.
Ultimately, these type of mammoth trades to significantly reshape a roster are typically reserved for the offseason, when general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has more time to jump the salary-cap hurdles and make sure the numbers work for 2026-27 and beyond.
The urgency in this case stems from the widespread interest in Thomas, including from two of Buffalo's Atlantic Division rivals, the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens. Missing out on the center and watching him join the Wings or Habs would be a double whammy.
So, that's likely why Kekalainen is making an aggressive push, and that could mean making Norris available to ensure the final numbers work. It's still more likely the Sabres make a few modest moves at the deadline and save the blockbusters for the summer, though.