Senators expect to begin contract talks with Josh Norris 'at some point in time'

Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion delivered an interview with TSN on Sunday, giving a sort of state of the union address surrounding a variety of pressing issues around the organization. One of these is the contract status of pending restricted free agent Josh Norris, who’s in the final year of his entry-level deal that he signed in May of 2019. Norris emerged as Ottawa's No. 1 center last season, scoring 35 points in 56 games in his first full NHL campaign. Dorion relayed that he spoke to Norris’ agent, Craig Oster, on Friday, expecting to begin talks with Norris “at some point in time.” While the quote carries a high degree of vagueness, dialogue this early, especially when initiated by the general manager, is always a promising sign on the path toward completing a contract. Norris has already scored a goal this season through his first two games.

More from the Senators organization:

• Dorion notes that an announcement about the Senators' captaincy is not imminent, saying that the Sens will continue to discuss and “take their time” on the decision. Many speculated that star winger Brady Tkachuk could be the next to sport the ’C’ for the Senators, especially after signing a seven-year contract to stay with Ottawa earlier this week. It appears as though Ottawa isn’t quite ready to make that call, as young defender Thomas Chabot also makes a compelling case to be named the Senators' captain. Ottawa’s captaincy has remained vacant ever since the departure of Erik Karlsson in 2018.
• Speaking with TSN’s James Duthie, Dorion mentions that he’s open to holding trade talks about acquiring a center to help the Senators' depth down the middle. While the Senators' emergence out of their rebuild hasn’t guided them to a playoff spot as of yet, their messaging adamantly reveals that internally, they feel ready to take the next step. It’s unlikely that the Senators are at the point where they’re willing to mortgage futures to swing a huge deal, but as Dorion mentions, if it’s the right fit, a smaller but still notable acquisition isn’t off the table this season if they find themselves in the race.