Sabres acquire Josh Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker from Senators

The Buffalo Sabres have acquired forward Josh Norris and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker in exchange for forward Dylan Cozens, defenseman Dennis Gilbert, and a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the team announced Friday.

Norris, 24, is tied for second on the Senators with 20 goals in 53 games played this season. He also has 13 assists for 33 points, which ranks sixth on the team. The centerman is signed through 2029-30 with an average annual value of $7.95 million.

Norris, a first-round pick (19th overall) by San Jose in 2017, has made a habit of scoring goals since his rookie season 2020-21. He scored 17 goals and 35 points in 56 games that season as a 21-year-old, earning a spot on the NHL’s All-Rookie Team.

Since the start of his rookie season, the centerman ranks 48th in the NHL with an average of 0.39 goals per game – which averages out to 32 goals per 82 games. He tallied career highs with 35 goals and 55 points in 66 games during the 2021-22 season.

Norris also ranks second among Senators forwards in shorthanded ice time (119:23) this season and has been on the ice for an average of 6.03 goals-against per 60 minutes – the 32nd best mark in the NHL among players with at least 100 shorthanded minutes played. He’s tied for third in the league with three shorthanded goals.

In the circle, Norris has won 53.8 percent of his faceoffs this season – a mark which would lead Sabres centermen. He’s won 52.5 percent of his faceoffs in his career.

Bernard-Docker, 24, was a first-round pick (26th overall) by Ottawa in 2018. The right-shot defenseman has four points (1+3) in 25 games this season while averaging 13:06 of ice time. He becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

Bernard-Docker played a career-high 72 games for Ottawa last season, during which he averaged 15:42 of ice time and led the Senators with 156 blocked shots.

Cozens, 24, was drafted seventh overall by Buffalo in 2019. He played 341 games with the Sabres from 2021 to 2025 and totaled 197 points (77+120). The forward’s career highs in games played (81), goals (31) and assists (37) came in the 2022-23 season. In 2024-25, Cozens has recorded 31 points (11+20) while appearing in each of the Sabres’ 61 games.

Gilbert, a 28-year-old Buffalo native, signed a free-agent contract with the Sabres in July of 2024. The defenseman has tallied five assists in 25 games this season – his sixth in the NHL – while averaging 10:04 of ice time.