Senators’ Josh Norris leaves game versus Rangers due to precautionary reasons

The Ottawa Senators will close out their Tuesday contest against the New York Rangers without center Josh Norris, who left late in the first period due to precautionary reasons, reports the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch.

Prior to his exit, Norris had taken six shifts and registered a minus-one rating. Entering Tuesday’s game, Norris had made 46 appearances this season in which he has recorded 17 goals and 10 assists for 27 points to sit fifth in team scoring.

Debuting with the Senators in 2019-20, Norris has battled injury challenges over part of six seasons in the Canadian capital, including the final 25 games of 2024-25 for which he was sidelined after undergoing shoulder surgery. Norris was also limited to only eight appearances in 2022-23 due to shoulder concerns.

In all, Norris has made 229 total appearances with the Senators in which he has tallied 87 goals and 63 assists for 150 points. The talented center put up 55 points in only 66 outings in 2021-22, marking a career high.

A 25-year-old native of Oxford, Mich., Norris joined the Senators in 2018 as part of the blockbuster deal that shipped former captain Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks. A graduate of the NCAA’s Michigan Wolverines, Norris was originally chosen 19th overall by San Jose in the 2017 NHL Draft.

Per PuckPedia, Norris is in the third year of an eight-year contract that carries a $7.95-million annual average value.

The Senators entered Tuesday’s contest against the Rangers in the midst of a two-game win streak. On the season, Ottawa sits 24-18-4 to hold down the first wildcard seed in the Eastern Conference with 52 points. The Senators have not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2017, a seven-year drought that trails only a pair of Atlantic Division foes in the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres.