It's the second year in a row and the third time overall that Josh Norris has had surgery on that left shoulder.
In July of 2022, when the Ottawa Senators signed centre Josh Norris to an eight-year deal worth almost $8 million, they certainly didn't envision this. Norris had just scored 35 goals in 66 games, and with the security of a new contract, they couldn't wait to see what he'd do for an encore.
The Sens couldn't have imagined that, over the next two seasons, Norris would play in only 58 of the club's 164 games. The club announced today that Norris underwent shoulder surgery last week and will be gone for the season.
That left shoulder has been injured or tweaked several times now. He's tried rehab at times in the past, but after getting other opinions, he opted again for surgery, his second in as many years and third of his career.
“He should be able to have enough time to be able to start at training camp,” head coach Jacques Martin told the media after Monday practice. “It gives him some time to rehabilitate properly for strength and everything. So what you’re looking at is a fresh start next year.”
On the other hand, Norris wasn't ready to start this season and his surgery last year was performed in February, a month earlier than this year’s operation.
Norris wasn't quite the same effective player this season, but he had been coming on in the past month. And despite missing all of training camp, he sure got off to an excellent start...
The latest injury occurred during a game in Nashville on February 27th. Norris chased Predators forward Cole Smith behind the Ottawa net and Smith cut him off, sending him into the back of the cage. Norris stayed down for a moment, then got up and skated off the ice, making his all-too-familiar in-game walk down the tunnel.
Norris has six years left on his contract, and after making $6.5 million last year and $5 million the year before, he now jumps to $9.5 million for each of the next three seasons.