Ottawa Senators expecting to get Josh Norris back

Things have not been easy this season for the Ottawa Senators, but it appears as though they’re getting some good news.

Forward Josh Norris, who is one of Ottawa’s most important players, has been limited to only five games in the 2022-2023 season after suffering an injury back in October. In his absence, the Senators have deked their way to a 19-21-3 record, which is 14th in the Eastern Conference.

According to Claire Hanna, however, Norris seems poised to make his return.

Getting the 23-year-old star back into the lineup will be a much-needed boost to a Senators team that has lost four of its last five contests. Norris contributed two points in his five games this season and should be expected to be a major point-producer once at full speed.

The Ottawa Senators need Josh Norris back.

Last season, Norris played in 66 games and tallied a career-high 55 points (35 goals and 20 assists). His goal-scoring ability will be welcomed into the lineup by the Senators, who score only 2.9 goals per game this season. Only seven teams in the NHL score fewer goals.

Ottawa has had several players scoring in the neighborhood of a point per game, but the offense beyond that handful of players has been nonexistent.

Norris can produce points and should be the team’s number one center, so upon his return, things should begin to fall into place for the Ottawa offense.

Norris has only played 130 games in his NHL career, but he has shown steady improvement in his first two full seasons. As a result, the Senators signed him to an eight-year contract worth $62.6 million.

Clearly, he is a part of this team’s future, and the sooner it can get him back on the ice, the better.

His return will likely not be enough to propel this team to a playoff spot, as that would require leapfrogging at least six teams in the East between now and the end of the season, but simply seeing improvement in the overall output of the team would be encouraging for Ottawa.

The Senators are still a work in progress, but having Josh Norris back in the lineup will certainly help this team look more like the one fans thought they might see in 2023.