Buffalo Sabres top center Josh Norris will once again miss significant time due to injury.
The 26-year-old forward suffered an upper-body injury in Buffalo’s opening game of the regular season on October 9th against the New York Rangers. The Sabres were counting on a healthy Norris to help them stay in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. A postseason return is the goal for 2025-26, and without their first-line center, the task of moving up the standings becomes much more daunting.
Since arriving in Buffalo on March 7th, Norris has appeared in just four games for the Sabres due to injury. He played in three games last March and the opening night contest this season. Norris was acquired by the Sabres from Ottawa in exchange for Dylan Cozens on March 7th.
He was to be one of the top-six forwards the Sabres had been seeking to add to the forward group. Norris had a strong preseason, centering Buffalo’s top line with Tage Thompson and Zach Benson and was heading into the season healthy. With Norris out of the lineup, Buffalo will look to second-year center Juri Kulich to build on his promising performance from last season.
The Sabres have been dealing with a depleted lineup since training camp began. Norris joins an injured list that includes his first-line winger Benson, starting goaltender Ukko-Pekka-Luukonen, and defensemen Michael Kesselring. His injury history has followed Norris to Buffalo, and the Sabres cannot afford to be without him for any extended period of time.
Being forced to juggle line combinations illustrates the Sabres lack of depth up front, and last summer’s departure of scoring winger JJ Peterka looms large now. Head Coach Lindy Ruff and his staff will have to get the maximum contributions from the current lineup in order to stay in the hunt in the Eastern Conference standings.
Follow Dave
@DaveNHL on X
On Facebook at [email protected]
