OTTAWA – The Josh Norris who scored four goals and 10 points in his first eight games for the Buffalo Sabres after returning from an injury looks a heck of a lot like the slick young star who scored 35 times for the Senators four years ago.
In 2021-22, Norris was emerging as a stud center and one of the Senators’ building blocks. Then injuries hit.
Shoulder problems wreaked havoc, never allowing him to play more than 66 games in a season. He produced in his limited action, but by last season, the Senators had seen enough.
On March 7, they traded Norris to the Sabres in a blockbuster deal that sent center Dylan Cozens the other way.
“(I) had a couple years where I did really well and kind of broke into the league,” Norris said prior to Tuesday’s game in the Canadian Tire Centre, his first outing against the Senators. “Obviously, (I’m) grateful for opportunity that I had. Then (I) just ran into a lot of injury trouble, obviously, and, yeah, never really got back to kind of the player that I was hoping to be for them for a long time.”
Norris’ first visit back to Ottawa had special meaning. When he left the Senators, he said he never thanked the fans who supported him through his injuries.
“(I had) kind of a lot of mixed emotions when I left, so just kind of left it quiet,” he said. “They were always great to me, and really felt like they had my back even when I was injured. So (I) always appreciated that about the people here.”
When the Senators announced his name in Tuesday’s starting lineup, he received a warm ovation. Following a video tribute during a stoppage in the first period, he pointed to his heart when he was shown on the video boards.
These days, Norris, 26, is happy and finally healthy.
“I’m in a great spot now,” he said.
He played three games following the trade before an oblique injury ended his season. An upper-body injury he suffered opening night sidelined him 24 games before he returned Dec. 1.
Tuesday’s game was just his 13th with the Sabres.
The Sabres carried a six-game win streak into Tuesday’s contest. Entering the night, he had recorded at least one point in seven of his eight appearances this month.
“I think I’m just getting more comfortable with being back,” Norris said. “First couple games, you’re just playing off of pure adrenaline and just excited to be back.”