When the Senators said they planned to wait a couple weeks before determining a specific timeline for Josh Norris, it was pretty clear that some bad news was coming.
Today, we learned a little bit more about that bad news.
DJ Smith spoke to reporters today and provided a pretty grim outlook on the team’s first line centre, suggesting that it could be a three to five month timeline for his return. While there is still a lot of unknown with the injury, including whether or not surgery is required, the team sounds pretty confident that this is a long-term injury.
It goes without saying but this would be a devastating blow for both the team and for Josh Norris.
While Derick Brassard gives them an option in the short-term and Shane Pinto seems more than capable of filling in over the course of a full season, it’s a huge loss for the Senators. Forward depth was a strength of this team coming into the year and losing a key piece like Norris will seriously challenge a team with playoff aspirations.
The team is expected to provide additional information on his status in the next few days, including an update on whether or not surgery will be required.
The Senators host the Minnesota Wild tomorrow night at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Sigh.
