Josh Norris' NHL future is in serious question
Another brutal break might spell the end for the Sens' young sniper.
HockeyFeed
This just in from Ottawa Senators insider Bruce Garrioch, Sens forward Josh Norris will miss the rest of the season after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.
From Garrioch:
For those keeping count at home, this is Norris' third shoulder surgery... at just 24 years old. That... that does NOT bode well for the young sniper's NHL future.
Norris re-injured his shoulder on February 27th against the Nashville Predators and elected to have it repaired (again) via surgery last week.
Interim head coach Jacques Martin told reporters this morning that Norris should be ready to join the team at training camp in September.
“He had surgery last week. I don’t have all the details but he’ll be out for the season,” Martin said earlier today. “When you look at the positive side, he should be able to have enough time to be able to start at training camp,” Martin said. “It gives him some time to rehabilitate properly for the strength and everything. So, what you’re looking at is a fresh start next year.”
Martin can spin all the positives he wants out of this but to me there's nothing positive about this development. Norris is just 24 years old and he's going under the knife to correct the same injury for the third time in his short NHL career. Oh... and he's signed until the end of the decade at a whopping $7.95 million per season. That's a MAJOR problem for this team looking forward. Norris is signed through the 2029-30 season and he has yet to play a full NHL season in his first four years in the league. If I'm GM Steve Staios, I'm really taking a hard look about whether or not Norris can be counted on to stick around for the long haul. Add in long-term contracts to underperforming players like Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk and things get even more murky. That's saying nothing for youngster Jake Sanderson and the crazy eight year, $64 million conttract he signed in September under former GM Pierre Dorion.
I understand that the Senators have a lot of potential, but that potential needs to be actualized next season or they risk another decade of mediocrity. Stay tuned.
