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Josh Norris

Injury Notes: Norris, Perfetti, Matheson

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Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia is reporting that Ottawa Senators center Josh Norris is practicing once again in a normal contact jersey today. The 24-year-old shed his yellow non-contact jersey for yesterday’s practice after he tweaked something two weeks ago at the start of training camp. Norris has missed 90 games over the past two seasons with a shoulder injury and has continued to deal with the ailment despite several surgical and rehabilitation efforts.

Last season, Norris injured the shoulder while taking a faceoff against the Arizona Coyotes in October, he attempted to do rehab and came back to play in January, but then re-injured his shoulder after three games. He finished the year with two goals and a single assist in just eight games in what was a very disappointing first year of an eight-year $63.6MM contract.

In other injury notes:

  • Sportsnet is reporting that Cole Perfetti left the Winnipeg Jets preseason game last night against the Calgary Flames after taking a dangerous hit from Martin Pospisil. Perfetti didn’t return to the game and was absent from practice this morning when it began. However, according to Winnipeg Sun reporter Scott Billeck, Perfetti did practice in a smaller group of just five players. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press is reporting that Perfetti is day-to-day at the moment.
  • Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports is reporting that Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson didn’t practice today with the team. The 29-year-old was a late scratch last night for the Canadiens preseason game against the Ottawa Senators in what was said to be precautionary. Matheson dealt with several injuries last season, which makes any scratch worrisome at this point. Eric Engels of Sportsnet reported last night that Matheson is dealing with a lower body injury that is unrelated to the groin and abdominal injuries he dealt with last season and would’ve played through the injury had the game been a regular season matchup.

Injury Notes: Wideman, Kylington, Norris

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The Montreal Canadiens announced that defenseman Chris Wideman will be out indefinitely with a back injury. No further details have been provided.

This news comes as Montreal opens up its training camp with plenty of question marks surrounding its blue line. Including David Reinbacher, the Canadiens have nine different defenders competing for an NHL role. With Wideman out, the competition opens up more to young defenders like Justin Barron, Kaiden Guhle, and Jordan Harris. But without details of what’s holding Wideman out, it’s unclear how long those roster spots will remain open. Wideman is on the second year of a two-year contract signed last summer, carrying a cap hit of $762.5K into the 2023-24 season.

Other injury notes:

  • The Calgary Flames announced that the team’s medical and fitness testing determined that defender Oliver Kylington is unable to participate in the opening day of training camp. No further details were provided, in an effort to maintain Kylington’s privacy. The defender appeared in a career-high 73 games in 2021-22, recording nine goals and 31 points.
  • Ottawa Senators forward Joshua Norris was seen wearing a non-contact jersey as the team opened camp. The forward has been rehabbing from shoulder surgery in January and reportedly “tweaked” something at a recent team practice. General manager Pierre Dorion said that Norris pushed off wanting to wear a non-contact jersey but the team wants to be extra cautious. However, Dorion also shared that if the regular season started tomorrow, Norris would be in the starting lineup. That’s encouraging to hear, as Norris was held out of all but eight games last season, after recording 35 goals and 55 points in 66 games during the 2021-22 campaign. Norris will likely slot into the Senators’ top-six when they open up the regular season, although continuing to see how he progresses from this shoulder injury will be worth monitoring.

Injury Notes: Norris, Ekholm, Poolman

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The Ottawa Senators’ playoff hopes were dashed last season in large part due to the absence of second-line center Josh Norris from the lineup. A shoulder injury sustained during training camp limited him to just eight games, but the team hoped he’d be fully ready to go this season after shutting him down for the 2022-23 campaign in January. That may not be the case, as general manager Pierre Dorion said today Norris will wear a non-contact jersey to begin training camp after tweaking something partially related to his shoulder during a captains’ skate last week.

“Josh doesn’t want to wear [the non-contact jersey], but he’ll wear one for a short period of time,” Dorion said. “If the regular season was starting, he’d be playing, just being extra cautious with ongoing rehab.” The 24-year-old centerman is entering the second season of an eight-year, $63.6MM extension signed in July 2022. In 2021-22, his last mostly healthy season, he notched 35 goals and 55 points in 66 contests.

Some other unfortunate injury news as some teams return to the ice for main camps today:

  • Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm is dealing with a minor hip flexor injury and won’t be a full participant when the team’s training camp begins tomorrow, general manager Ken Holland informed reporters, including TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. It’s unclear whether this is an injury that was sustained last season and hasn’t fully healed or whether it’s something Ekholm sustained during the offseason. He didn’t miss any games after coming over from the Nashville Predators prior to last season’s trade deadline. The 33-year-old Swede, who has three seasons remaining on a deal carrying a $6.25MM cap hit, notched five goals and 21 points in 33 regular-season and playoff games in an Oilers jersey to close out the previous campaign. He is once again expected to play a pivotal top-four role and remains a valuable second-pair partner to growing power-play dynamo Evan Bouchard.
  • The Vancouver Canucks confirmed the expected news that defenseman Tucker Poolman will begin the season on long-term injured reserve and won’t attend their training camp. Poolman has suffered from migraines stemming from concussions for multiple seasons and last suited up for the Canucks at the beginning of 2022-23. He’s played in just 43 games for the Canucks since signing a four-year, $10MM contract with them in free agency in 2021.

Injury Notes: Barzal, Romanov, Caufield, Forsberg, Norris

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The New York Islanders have a tall task ahead of them in their first-round playoff matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes, as they’re looking to eliminate a club many view as a Stanley Cup contender. They will get some crucial help, though, as one of the team’s top offensive players, Mathew Barzal, is set to return from injury for Game One. (via The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz) Barzal hasn’t played since a February contest against the Boston Bruins, and was on a hot streak with six points in four games before going down with his injury.

In total, Barzal scored 51 points in 58 games this season. He flashed chemistry with mid-season trade acquisition Bo Horvat, and is a proven playoff performer with 38 points in 49 career contests. As relayed by The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner, Barzal said today that he’d been feeling good for a while, but wanted to make sure he was 100% ready to return before entering the lineup once again.

Some other injury notes from across the league:

  • Although the Islanders will get Barzal back in time for the playoffs, the same can’t be said for another one of the team’s young talents. Head coach Lane Lambert told the media today, including Kurz, that defenseman Alexander Romanov will not be available for the first game of their series against Carolina. Romanov has been skating by himself and is inching closer to a return, but remains unavailable. Acquired by the Islanders at the 2022 draft, Romanov last played on April 1st and has scored 22 points this season playing nearly 20 minutes a night.
  • Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield updated the media, including Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, on the state of his injury recovery today. Caufield said that he’s cleared to play golf as of June 1st, and that he’d “definitely” be back to shooting pucks before then. Caufield’s rehab from the shoulder injury that ended his season is an important storyline for Canadiens fans to monitor, seeing as he’s one of the team’s brightest young talents and has an important summer of contract negotiations set to begin.
  • As relayed by Sportsnet’s Wayne Scanlan, Ottawa Senators netminder Anton Forsberg is doing well in his recovery from his season-ending injury and will be back on the ice by July. Forsberg suffered a torn MCL in February, which ended his season. The 30-year-old signed a contract extension to remain a Senator last summer and should be expected to remain in the team’s offseason plans for its crease, assuming his recovery continues to move in the right direction.
  • Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports word from Senators center Josh Norris that the 23-year-old’s shoulder is feeling good and that he expects to be back on the ice in the next month. Norris played just eight games this season due to a shoulder injury. It was initially reported that Norris would not need surgery, and the optimism that he could return peaked when he was activated and played three games in January. Norris did ultimately need to undergo shoulder surgery, though, and the operation ended his season. That means that 2022-23 ended up a lost season for Norris, who scored 35 goals and 55 points in 2021-22.

Josh Norris To Undergo Surgery; Out For Season

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Jan 30: Hanna reports that Norris’ surgery is scheduled for the next few days.

Jan 23: Excitement for Ridly Greig’s recall quickly turned to sadness for Ottawa Senators fans, as the team announced Josh Norris’s season is over. He will be going for shoulder surgery in the near future. It is the same injury as earlier this season. Norris has been moved to injured reserve.

After scoring 35 goals in 66 games last season, life was good for Norris. He signed a new eight-year, $63.6MM contract that entrenched him as one of the league’s young stars, and was ready to leverage the team’s improved forward depth for an even better year.

Then he suffered a serious shoulder injury in October after just five games. Weeks went by with Norris consulting five different doctors and two specialists before it was determined that he wouldn’t need surgery.

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion told Claire Hanna of TSN that Norris “felt a subluxation” over the weekend, leading to this decision. He had returned just three games ago, meaning he’ll finish this season appearing in only eight. His two goals and three points are a far cry from what was expected, especially with a new $7.95MM cap hit in hand.

Now he faces another lengthy rehab, while the Senators try to salvage anything this season. The club is slipping down the standings, and has completely shuffled its lines around at practice today in an attempt to get things back on track.

Without Norris, the Ottawa center depth looks mighty thin, with Greig inserted into the second line between Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux before ever playing a game at the NHL level.

East Notes: Norris, Bastian, Slafkovsky

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It was a long wait to return from a shoulder injury for Ottawa Senators center Josh Norris, but still shorter than most expected. He’ll be returning to the lineup tonight as the Senators take on the Pittsburgh Penguins, as told to reporters pregame, including the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch.

Norris told reporters that he was “excited” to face such a tough challenge down the middle in his first game back since October 22, where he’ll be competing against some of the world’s best in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. But with no exhibition games or conditioning stint to test out his shoulder, don’t expect him to be active in the faceoff dot just yet. He’s been placed on a line between Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux, and while Norris may play center during actual gameplay, Giroux will take the lion’s share of the draws when that unit is deployed. Norris’ return is a huge boost for the Senators’ dwindling playoff hopes, as they remain among the bottom teams in the Eastern Conference with a 19-21-3 record.

  • Another lengthy absence could come to a close this week, as New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters that winger Nathan Bastian is a possibility for Thursday’s matchup against Seattle. Bastian hasn’t played since sustaining an upper-body injury early in a November 26 game against Washington, leading to almost a two-month absence. The 25-year-old has eight points through 21 games after recording a double-digit goal total for the first time last season.
  • With 2022 first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky now likely shut down for the season with a knee injury, some have questioned Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes’ decision not to give Slafkovsky any time in the AHL. Hughes told reporters in a press conference today that the organization didn’t want concerns around Slafkovsky’s development to come primarily about offensive production, as he feared might happen if the Slovak forward spent extended time with the Laval Rocket. Instead, the organization opted to keep “a close eye” on him and keep him focused on holistic development with Canadiens coaches. Hughes said that an AHL loan in the near future wasn’t out of the question for Slafkovsky, but that’s now out of the question given his injury.

Snapshots: Norris, Season Expansion, Joyce

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When news of Ottawa Senators forward Josh Norris’ shoulder injury first broke, it was speculated as a potentially season-ending ailment. The timeline was eventually narrowed down to a three-to-five-month period, and in early November, it became clear that Norris would not need to have surgery on his shoulder. Now, it seems there is even more good news regarding Norris’ injury situation. At Senators practice today, Norris took off his non-contact jersey and donned a regular practice jersey.

That’s an important development, as it indicates that Norris could be nearing a return to the ice sooner than anyone may have anticipated. While the Senators remain in last place in the Atlantic Division, they are currently on a three-game winning streak and have a 7-2-1 record in their last ten games. Being able to add Norris back to their group of centers would give them a trio of Norris, Tim Stutzle, and Shane Pinto, an enviable group of young pivots. Norris scored 35 goals and 55 points last season, and while his slow start to this season as well as his shoulder injury makes it somewhat likely that he’ll need time to get back up to full speed, his return to the ice would undoubtedly be a major help to the Senators’ push to get back into the playoff picture.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reports that the NHL “has discussed expanding its regular season from 82 to 84 games in an effort to create more regional rivalry matchups.” With the league still recovering from the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been renewed focus on advancing the league’s revenue goals. Wyshynski does note that “the topic wasn’t mentioned at this week’s board of governors meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, but is expected to be discussed at the general managers’ meeting in March 2023,” meaning the change is still a bit of a way away from being officially agreed upon and implemented.
  • NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston has reported that executive Eric Joyce is no longer a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. Joyce joined the Maple Leafs in the fall of 2020 and had most recently served as the director of hockey strategy and pro scouting. It is unclear at this current moment if the Maple Leafs have chosen to leave those roles unfilled, delegated Joyce’s responsibilities to others, or otherwise re-assigned Joyce’s vacated titles and responsibilities.

Josh Norris Will Not Require Surgery

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After seeing five different doctors and two specialists, it has been determined that Josh Norris will not require shoulder surgery, according to Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. As Claire Hanna of TSN relays, Dorion noted today that the team will know more in the New Year about a potential return this season.

Norris, 23, has had shoulder injuries before, including one in 2019 that essentially ended his college career. Dorion explained that this is a different injury entirely than the ones he has dealt with before, and for now he will just rehab.

While that technically qualifies as good news, it’s still a brutal outcome for the young center who is coming off an outstanding 35-goal season. He did that in just 66 games, one of the best per-game scoring rates in the NHL, ahead of players like Jake Guentzel, Steven Stamkos, Matthew Tkachuk, and Alex DeBrincat. Building on that was a big part of why so many people were bullish on the Senators this offseason, and his absence has been one of the main reasons why they have disappointed.

Norris managed just five games and two points. With no clear timeline on when he can return, this may end up being a wasted season for the young forward and one that potentially hinders his long-term development. That would be a worst-case scenario for the Senators, who committed eight years and $63.6MM to him in the offseason. That $7.95MM cap hit makes him the 38th most expensive forward in the league this season, only a touch below Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.

Injury Updates: Norris, Saad, Matheson, Mitchell

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While it was recently revealed that Senators center Josh Norris would miss several months due to needing shoulder surgery, that procedure hasn’t happened yet.  Instead, as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports, the 23-year-old is seeking a second opinion in the hopes of avoiding having to go under the knife and miss that much time.  Head coach D.J. Smith indicated that the team is still proceeding with the expectation that Norris won’t be available for the rest of the season while Garrioch notes a final decision from the center is expected in the next couple of days.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Blues winger Brandon Saad has resumed practicing as he works his way back from a back injury, relays Joe Lyons of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 30-year-old has missed six straight due to the issue and hasn’t gotten onto the scoresheet in his three contests so far this season.  At this point, there’s no timeline for a return just yet and it’s worth noting that he’s not on injured reserve so a roster move won’t need to be made when he gets the green light to suit up.
  • Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson skated today for the first time as he continues to work his way back from an abdominal injury, relays TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The 28-year-old was originally designated as day-to-day but that was later amended to an eight-week absence.  There still are a few weeks left in that timeframe so it’s unlikely that Montreal will be getting one of its top defenders back for a little while yet.
  • Blackhawks defenseman Ian Mitchell told reporters including Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link) that his wrist injury basically boils down to a pain tolerance issue at this point. He’s hoping to skate with the team next week when they return from their current road trip and if all goes well, he could be cleared to return soon after.  That said, while he should be getting back to game action before much longer, it appears that this injury will linger for a little while yet.

East Notes: Norris, Blackwood, Palat

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The Ottawa Senators got bad news yesterday when head coach D.J. Smith told the media that he was not confident that Josh Norris, a crucial top-six center in his lineup, would return to the ice this season. This unfortunate development has led many to wonder whether the Senators, led by GM Pierre Dorion, would pursue immediate upgrades to fill the hole left in their lineup by Norris’ absence. Veteran forward Derick Brassard is currently occupying Norris’ old slot in the lineup, and seeing as the Senators have hopes of contending in the Atlantic division, so they may want to upgrade on Brassard, who had 19 points in 46 games last season.

According to TSN’s Darren Dreger on today’s Insider Trading program, that’s not the direction the Senators will be headed. Dreger reports that Ottawa feels “that they are OK” despite Norris’ injury, and they believe that they have the depth in their lineup to overcome the challenges they’ll face in his absence. The Senators certainly have enviable scoring depth, and with Shane Pinto off to a scorching hot start, the need to find an immediate upgrade at center looks to be less urgent.

Some other notes regarding Eastern Conference teams:

  • New Jersey Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood is out with a day-to-day injury and could return as soon as tomorrow, reports Amanda Stein of the Devils’ team website. While this injury appears to be a minor one, it’s worth noting considering the larger situation Blackwood finds himself in. A pending arbitration-eligible restricted free agent, Blackwood is looking to rebound after an injury-plagued 2021-22 campaign that saw him post an .892 save percentage in 25 games. Staying healthy could be the key to him having that rebound season, so hopefully he’ll find his way back into the lineup quickly.
  • In another injury update concerning the Devils, forward Ondrej Palat is “continuing to be evaluated” for a lower-body injury, per Devils head coach Lindy Ruff. According to Ruff, an update on that injury should come in the “next few days.” Palat was the team’s major free agent signing this past summer and has three goals in six games so far this season.

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