The Ottawa Senators won’t have centre Josh Norris back anytime soon

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Josh Norris won’t be back with the Ottawa Senators any time soon — and it’s possible we’ve seen the last of him this season.

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As the Senators returned to the ice Thursday at the Canadian Tire Centre to prepare to face the Arizona Coyotes on Friday at home, their second-line centre wasn’t on the ice and interim head coach Jacques Martin confirmed Norris would be out “for an extended period” with an upper-body injury.

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While Martin didn’t confirm that Norris re-injured the left shoulder he has had surgically repaired twice, we’re led to believe that was likely the case after he left the 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday after knocked into the net on a hit by Cole Smith in the second period.

Norris was undergoing further tests before a decision is made on whether he’ll need surgery or rehab to fix the ailment, but at this point it would be surprising if suited up again during this National Hockey League season.

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“With Norris, it’s probably an extended time, but I don’t really have any more info,” Martin told reporters Thursday. “It’s too early to know.”

There’s only six weeks left in the season and the Senators’ won’t make the playoffs, so there’s likely no need to risk further injury and the best bet is to have Norris ready to go when training camp opens in September.

The expectation is Norris will be placed on long-term injury reserve (LTIR), which would free up $7.95 million U.S. in NHL salary cap space. The Senators will need that room if they want to recall a couple of forwards from their American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville.

As noted, Norris has a long history with shoulder issues and that’s why the organization is proceeding with caution before making any announcements about where this is headed.

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“Maybe we’ll have a little more information down the road, but you’ve got to stay positive about what he has to deal with,” Martin said.

Norris first had the shoulder surgically repaired after he was injured while playing for Team U.S.A. at the 2019 world junior championship. He missed the rest of that season at the University of Michigan and then started his professional career with Belleville.

Norris was out for 16 games during the 2021-22 NHL campaign after he injured the shoulder again in January 2022 against the Carolina Hurricanes.

He missed 38 games last season after suffering a shoulder injury in early October. Instead of having surgery, Norris sought several opinions and decided to go the rehab route. He came back, but only suited up for three games before he had another injury in January 2023 and had another procedure, ending his season.

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Norris was supposed to be ready for camp in September, but former general manager Pierre Dorion told reporters “he tweaked something” in an informal skate. Norris missed all of the pre-season and the first three games of the regular season.

This is a tough blow for Norris and his teammates are hoping for the best for him. They know this is as tough mentally as it is physically.

“It sucks, honestly, he’s been through a lot and he’s a good friend of mine,” winger Mathieu Joseph said. “I feel for him. I don’t know what the results are or anything, but when you see him leaving the ice, that’s never a good thing. He’s a strong guy mentally and he’s going to come back stronger than ever.”

Norris has 16 goals and 14 assists for 30 points in 50 games this season. Though he had struggled, his game was starting to come around.

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“It’s just unfortunate because I thought Josh was probably playing his best hockey of the season,” Martin said. “Since he’s been (skating) with Drake Batherson, I thought that line had been good. They were using their speed and they were getting some production as well.

“That’s unfortunate, but sometimes when an injury happens it’s an opportunity for somebody else.”

To make matters worse, centre Tim Stutzle — who has been dealing with various health issues — wasn’t on the ice Thursday, and neither was defenceman Thomas Chabot, who left the game early in Nashville.

The Senators had only three forward lines during the 30-minute practice Thursday and Parker Kelly was skating as a defenceman.

Martin said both Stutzle and Chabot were given maintenance days, but he expected them to face the Coyotes.

Unfortunately, the news wasn’t as good for veteran blueliner Travis Hamonic. He’s out week-to-week with an unspecified lower-body injury.

His spot in the lineup will be taken by blueliner Artem Zub, who is ready to return from an unspecified ailment that forced him to miss five of the past nine games.

The Senators are hoping for the best for Norris.

“With his history, you hate to see him go down like that,” Batherson said. “I’m just waiting to hear on his status right now.”

Everybody is waiting with bated breath.

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

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