When Josh Norris was traded from the Ottawa Senators to the Buffalo Sabres at last year’s trade deadline, it felt like an immediate win for the Sens. The deal was basically Norris for Dylan Cozens - both former first-rounders, both still young, both signed long term, and both former 30-goal scorers. 

For the Sabres, it was a swing on upside — a bet that a healthy Norris could be a better option for them than Cozens.

The problem, as everyone in Ottawa knew, was Norris's health. His career has been incessantly derailed by upper-body injuries, particularly to his shoulder. Buffalo was rolling the dice that Norris could finally catch a break and thrive on their top line. But their hopes were quickly dampened.

Norris has now played less than four games for the Sabres and suffered two serious, separate injuries. Just three games after last year’s trade, Norris suffered a season-ending oblique issue. But after a full summer of training and optimism, he returned this fall eager for a fresh start.

Then came opening night on Thursday.

Late in the third period against the New York Rangers, while taking a neutral-zone faceoff, Norris crumpled to the ice in pain. He struggled to make it to the bench and didn’t return. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters that No. 9 would “miss a significant amount of time.” Ruff clarified that the injury was upper-body related, but not connected to any of Norris’s previous issues.

Norris's previous issues include a serious shoulder injury in October 2023 while taking a faceoff for the Senators.

For Ottawa fans, his latest setback now hits differently.

Norris was one of the most well-liked players in the Senators' dressing room, and when he was dealt to Buffalo, Sens captain Brady Tkachuk visibly fought back tears in front of reporters, which said everything about how much Norris meant to him and the team. Even now, months removed from his time in Ottawa, Norris remains a player Sens fans root for.

His talent is undeniable. His attitude, fantastic. It’s the body that keeps betraying him.

Now, as he embarks on yet another long rehab, here’s hoping this is finally the start of a comeback that lasts.

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