Just as Ottawa Senators center Josh Norris seemed to be returning to the form that once made him a first-round NHL Draft pick, the injury bug has struck yet again. Senators head coach Travis Green announced today that the oft-injured Norris will be out of the lineup for “a couple of weeks.”
That raises the question: How long will Norris actually be out?
While Green is having a strong first season as head coach, he’s made it clear that he doesn’t like providing injury updates to the media. With Green, a player missing practice for “precautionary reasons” can quickly turn into a month-long absence.
So, who knows what “a couple of weeks” will really mean?
TSN 1200 reports that Norris is dealing with a mid-body injury, which sounds like something new and unrelated to his three shoulder surgeries or the fall he took on his chin at Madison Square Garden a couple of weeks ago, which caused him to miss two games.
Norris had just started to show signs of getting his game back on track, playing with speed and a high compete level. Early in the season, coming off yet another season-ending shoulder surgery, he seemed to play a little more cautiously—perhaps overly focused on staying healthy.
Last year, his season ended at the 50-game mark, and now, right on schedule, he’s back on the injury list at the same point in the season. His stat line is almost identical.
Norris, who has four points in his last two games, was injured in the final minutes of Ottawa’s 6-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night. The Wild, frustrated and clearly out of the game, had one goal in the third period: hit as much as possible and leave some bruises.
The good news? The NHL 4 Nations Faceoff break is coming up. After facing the Florida Panthers this Saturday, the Senators don’t play again until February 22nd, when they host the Montreal Canadiens at Canadian Tire Centre.
That gives Norris a little extra time to heal up for Ottawa’s most meaningful stretch drive in eight years.
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