Ottawa Senators coach D.J. Smith revealed Saturday that Josh Norris is out indefinitely due to a shoulder injury.
Norris continues to be plagued by issues related to the same shoulder he had surgery on last season.
After missing the majority of the 2022-23 season, Norris was expected to make a return that could bolster the Senators offensive depth. Another setback has changed those plans.
The 24-year-old initially tweaked something while skating before training camp in early September. As a result, the forward started camp wearing a non-contact jersey and was eventually allowed to take some contact in practice. Unfortunately for Norris and the Senators the center suffered a setback shortly afterwards that appears to be related to his prior injury troubles in some capacity.
“It’s concerning. When I’m doing my lineup in the middle of June and July, I have him in my lineup,” head coach D.J. Smith stated Saturday. “At this point, I am being told he is unable to play. We will continue doing what we’re doing but understand that the player and ourselves all want Josh to play.”
“Right now, the training staff and doctors are telling me that he’s not going to play,” Smith said. “Again, it’s unfortunate. I know the kid wants to play hockey. As a coaching staff, we’ve had to change some things around, especially our power play. We always have Josh in that one-time spot. Never did we think that possibly we’d start the year without him, and it certainly looks that way.”
Norris has played a total of 133 games with Ottawa and registered 93 points during that span. He recently signed a lengthy eight-year deal on July 14, 2022 worth $63.6 million dollars. The contract has an average annual value of 7.95 million per season.
There’s a possibility for Norris to be placed on long-term injured reserve to start the season because of this shoulder injury. If the Senators go the LTIR route, it will provide them the required cap space to re-sign RFA Shane Pinto. Until that point, Ottawa’s center depth will be tested early in the 2022-23 season.
Ridly Greig will likely have an elevated role within the lineup while Norris and Pinto remain on the sidelines. The young forward scored a goal in Ottawa’s final preseason game Saturday and received 19:08 of ice time.
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