Camp Notebook | A reintroduction to Josh Norris

On March 7, Josh Norris joined the Buffalo Sabres via trade. The next night, he made his team debut. His first point followed on March 10, his first goal March 12. But then an oblique injury ended his season, and those three games were the extent of his 2024-25 contributions in Buffalo.

Now, the 26-year-old center is fully healthy and ready to really show the Sabres what he’s capable of.

“It’s probably been about three years, honestly, since I’ve had a full summer of training,” said Norris, who’s also dealt with shoulder injuries in recent years, after Friday’s practice at KeyBank Center. “… It was fun, and it was kind of freeing, mentally, to just be able to go out there and work on my game and not have to worry about anything.”

His offseason training was especially fun thanks to the star-studded group he skated with in Plymouth, Mich., which included the Hughes brothers, Dylan Larkin, Zach Werenski, Kyle Connor, Cole Caufield, Alex DeBrincat, Connor Hellebuyck and more established stars.

Early in Buffalo’s training camp, the talk surrounding Norris suggests he belongs with that collection of top-level talent.

“I think we will get an opportunity, now, to see the real Norris,” said head coach Lindy Ruff. “… We know that he's an elite player.”

A proven scorer with 91 career goals, including a career-high 35 four seasons ago with Ottawa, Norris figures to be one of this 2025-26 team’s key offensive contributors – especially on the man advantage, where Buffalo ranked 24th in the league at 18.8 percent last year. That 2021-22 season saw Norris collect 16 power-play goals, and although he’s a lethal shooter from the right flank, he prides himself on his versatility; Norris discussed his comfort in the bumper position and at the offensive-zone faceoff dot.

“He’s been excellent on the power play for Ottawa in the past,” Alex Tuch said, “and I think he’s going to incredible for us.”

Production there, plus on the penalty kill, will make Norris the 200-foot, all-situations player Buffalo envisioned when it made that March 7 deal.

Norris doesn’t feel those three March games were a true showcase of his abilities, considering the oblique injury, but he still flashed some early chemistry with linemates Zach Benson and Tage Thompson. That trio has skated together through two days of camp, adding to Norris’ positive impressions of the two wingers.

On Benson: “He’s one of those guys that can make a play happen out of nothing. He’s really good in tight and just has a really good mind for the game and spatial awareness. He’s a guy that’s, to me, easy to read off of, and as a centerman, to have a winger be able to make little in-tight plays, it makes my job easier.”

On Thompson: “It’s definitely a lot more fun to be playing with him than against him. It wasn’t fun trying to defend him. He’s so tall, and for his height and how long he is, his coordination and his hands are pretty insane. It’s not often you see a guy that big be able to move like that, get up and down the rink. Just insane amounts of skill. So, I’m excited to keep working with him and gain chemistry and learn from him, too.”

Norris knows questions about his durability will linger until he proves otherwise. But everything about his successful offseason, and his strong track record when healthy, indicates the former first-round pick is primed for his best season yet.

“Just with the amount of time that I’ve missed over the last three or four years, I still really feel that I have a lot to prove, and just to prove it to myself, really; so, that’s probably the thing I’m most excited about individually,” Norris said.

“Team-wise, I think we have a lot of great pieces. Hockey is obviously a team sport, and everyone has to do their part, but I’m just excited to get here and contribute on both sides of the puck.”

Here's more from Day 2 of training camp practice.

Comments from the captain

Captain Rasmus Dahlin addressed the media for the first time in training camp – and shortly after announcing that his fiancée, Carolina, is recovering from a heart transplant. Read the letter from Rasmus and Carolina here.

Here are the defenseman’s thoughts on the following topics:

On his teammates’ support during a challenging offseason: “Unbelievable. … I don’t think, when this stuff happens, you see each other as a captain or whatever. You’re just a human with good people around you. I couldn't be more thankful for all of the support.”

On being better adjusted to Ruff’s coaching entering his second season: “At the end of last season, we got better and better and better. We worked together as a team. We dialed it in, we won a bunch of games, and we can build off that and have a great start.”

On restricted free agent Bowen Byram’s re-signing in July: “He’s one of the main guys in the locker room. He brings the joy every day. We all know what he can do on the ice and what he brings to the team. He’s such a big piece of our team. I was thrilled when he got signed back.”

On Buffalo’s offseason signings/trade acquisitions: “Unbelievable. Great additions. Everyone can play with the puck. Everybody is tall, tough to play against, hard. We’ve got the depth. We’ve got the skill. We want to be a good defending team this year. There are some great guys, too; they fit right into our locker room. I’m very pumped.”

On the start of training camp: “We have a big year in front of us, and we have a chance here to build something really good, and we just have to keep having a really good training camp. We’ve had a great start; just have to keep building.”

Defensive depth

Ruff raved about the Sabres’ improved blue line entering the season, specifically touching on what’s been the third pair so far: Mattias Samuelsson and offseason acquisition Conor Timmins.

Samuelsson, Ruff said, arrived at this camp in great shape, fitness-wise, and “was one of our top guys going through all the work we did, off ice and on ice.”

Timmins, meanwhile, is a “solid defender” and “mature player” whose simple game will aid the Sabres’ quest for stronger defense. And as a right-shot defenseman, he helps balance the pairs like Ruff prefers.

• Camp Countdown | Where do the Sabres' new defensemen fit?

Ruff, asked about his defensive depth, also identified the Rochester Americans’ Nikita Novikov and Vsevelod Komarov as prospects who could become NHL-level options this season.

Up next

The Sabres will hold an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday morning at KeyBank Center, so stay tuned to Sabres.com for coverage of that and any other news as camp continues.