The Ottawa Senators will get one of their top forwards back in time for their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday.
Josh Norris, who has missed the Senators’ last 38 games with a shoulder injury, will be in the lineup — albeit in a slightly reduced capacity — against the Penguins.
Senators head coach DJ Smith confirmed Norris will play and Mathieu Joseph will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday. He also said Norris won’t take any faceoffs in the game, although he’ll still play between Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux on the Senators’ second line.
“I mean, why not go up against some of the best players in the world [in] your first game back?” Norris told Ottawa reporters after Wednesday’s pre-game skate. “I’m excited for it.”
Norris, 23, has one goal and one assist in five games with the Senators this season. He set new career-best marks with 35 goals and 55 points in 66 contests with the team during the 2021–22 campaign.
The San Jose Sharks originally selected Norris in the first round (No. 19 overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft before sending him to Ottawa in the Erik Karlsson trade. Since making his NHL debut with the Senators in 2019–20, Norris has amassed 53 goals and 92 points in 130 career games.
Last July, the Senators signed Norris to a new eight-year contract carrying a $7.95 million annual cap hit. He’ll be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in 2030.
These days, the Senators need a boost. They currently rank seventh in the Atlantic Division with a 19-21–3 record through 43 games and sit nine points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Penguins and Senators are scheduled to do battle in Kanata, ON at 7:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday evening.
More must-reads: