'Excited to be here' | Norris embracing fresh start with Sabres

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Josh Norris will be wearing No. 13 when he takes the ice for his Buffalo Sabres debut against the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday.

It’s a departure from the digits he wore in Ottawa, where he started as No. 37 before switching to No. 9. (The latter number is occupied in Buffalo by Zach Benson.) He wore No. 14 at the University of Michigan.

Norris opted for something totally new, symbolic of his fresh start in Buffalo.

“New number, new me,” he said with a smile.

Norris arrived in Florida late Friday night after being acquired by the Sabres along with defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker in exchange for forward Dylan Cozens, defenseman Dennis Gilbert, and a second-round draft pick in 2026.

He was greeted at the airport by assistant coach Seth Appert, who previously coached Norris at the U.S. National Team Development Program. Beyond Appert, Norris knows defenseman Mattias Samuelsson from playing together at Under-18 tournaments and Owen Power from shared ties to the University of Michigan.

Other than those connections, the Sabres represent a completely new experience for Norris – and an unexpected one at that. The 24-year-old said he had “no idea” he would be traded by Ottawa, where he spent the first six seasons of his career and played alongside his childhood friend in forward Brady Tkachuk.

But it’s an experience he’s embracing.

“It was a weird day yesterday for sure, a lot of hard goodbyes in Ottawa,” Norris said. “But I’m really excited to be here. It’s always a team that’s not easy to play against when they’re clicking, and they have a lot of really good pieces. I’m just excited to get going here. It’s a fresh start for me and like I said, I’m really excited to be here.”

Norris made the NHL All-Rookie Team in 2020-21, then followed that performance with a career-high 35 goals in 66 games in 2021-22. Injuries to his shoulder limited him to a combined 58 games over the past two seasons, but he played 53 of Ottawa’s 61 contests this season and ranked second on the team with 20 goals.

Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said the team did its due diligence on Norris’ health and are comfortable in that regard. The Sabres see Norris as a true all-situations centerman with a track record of defensive reliability, success in the faceoff circle, and an ability to play on both the power play and the penalty kill.

“The last couple years have not gone the way I wanted to with injuries and stuff, but I’ve managed to stay fairly healthy this year,” Norris said. “And I really appreciate the opportunity that they’re giving me.”

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said he sees No. 1 center potential in Norris, who skated Saturday morning with the top power-play unit. Ruff added that he would like to get Norris with consistent linemates to begin his time in Buffalo.

“I really feel the skating is elite,” Ruff said. “And defending, I saw a lot of good things with the defending part of the game watching him play. So, you’re looking at a guy who can play in all roles.”

Tage Thompson also pointed to Norris’ defensive reliability when asked about his experience playing against Norris as a member of the Senators.

“Obviously everyone knows the skill he has and the playmaking ability, the finishing ability, but just his hockey smarts,” Thompson said. “I think he’s always positionally in the right spot which is why he has the puck on his stick so much. And because of that, the guys that he plays with benefit from it.”

While Norris has consistently scored goals when he’s been on the ice since entering the NHL, his other qualities address the Sabres’ areas of need. Buffalo ranks third in the NHL in 5-on-5 goals but 29th in total goals against.

Norris immediately becomes the leader among Sabres centermen in faceoff winning percentage, boasting a 53.8-percent mark this season and a 52.5-percent mark for his career.

But Norris also knows the Sabres’ potential, having lost both head-to-head matchups with Buffalo as a member of the Senators this season.

“When they’re clicking, they aren’t fun to play against,” he said. “There’s a lot of really good players here so I’m excited to get to know the guys better and be in the lineup for the rest of the year here and play good hockey.”