Senators center to miss rest of season after shoulder surgery

The Senators will indeed be without center Josh Norris for the rest of the season after he underwent shoulder surgery last week, the team informed reporters (including Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun). It’s unclear if the team expects Norris, who has had three surgeries on his left shoulder in the past few years, to be ready for the beginning of next season. Depth center Rourke Chartier will also be sidelined for roughly one week with an upper-body injury, per CapFriendly.

Ottawa placed Norris on injured reserve on Feb. 29 and moved him to long-term injured reserve the next day to gain much-needed relief from his $7.95M cap hit. That relief ensures the Senators can ice a full roster down the stretch after being forced to dress a skater short on multiple occasions this season due to cap constraints.

Norris began the season on IR after sustaining a setback in his recovery from his second shoulder surgery, which was performed in January 2023, during training camp. He made his season debut in mid-October and couldn’t recapture his 2021-22 season form that earned him his eight-year, $63.6M extension. Over 50 appearances, the left-shot pivot recorded 16 goals and 30 points while averaging 17:38 per game. He posted a -6 rating and recorded 115 shots on goal, a 0.31 shots-per-game decrease from his 35-goal showing two years ago.

It’s another concerning development for the 24-year-old as he deals with seemingly consistent shoulder injuries. They limited him to just eight games last season, meaning he’ll have played only 35 percent of the Senators’ games since 2022 once this campaign concludes. He has six years remaining on his extension, with a 10-team no-trade list from July 1, 2026 onwards.

Norris last played on Feb. 27. He also missed four games in January with what the team termed an upper-body injury, although it’s unclear if that absence was related to his shoulder. The Senators, who are now down two centers with Chartier injured, will need to recall a forward from AHL Belleville before tomorrow’s game against the Penguins to have 12 available. They’ll be eligible to use an emergency recall, keeping their four post-deadline standard recalls open for later.

Chartier, 27, has three points in 37 games with the Sens this season. He was briefly reassigned to Belleville on deadline day to make him eligible to participate in the Calder Cup Playoffs.