The Ottawa Senators are without a doubt struggling. Although the Senators won last night 4-3 against the Calgary Flames, the Senators have a 9-11-1 record. When a team is struggling early into the season, a team might want to shake up the roster and make moves to win now or plan for the future.
For Josh Norris, he entered this season with something to prove for the Senators. So far this season, Norris has delivered with 14 points and eight goals.
However, Norris still has yet to reach his full potential and he could draw interest for other teams. As November is winding down, Norris has already had his name mentioned in rumors surrounding a trade.
Norris has name mentioned by Frank Seravalli in trade rumors
Yesterday, hockey insider Frank Seravalli appeared on Daily Faceoff and talked about the Senators with Tyler Yaremchuk. During the episode, Seravalli mentioned Norris had his name pop up when it came to a trade.
"I was told over the weekend that, among the conversations the Sens have been in...one of the names that popped up to the surface is Josh Norris," Seravalli said.
At 25 years old, Norris does have potential to be a superstar in the NHL, but one issue has been his health. From 2021-2024, Norris has missed 122 combined games. When Norris is healthy, his impact is huge. This season, the Senators have seen just how valuable he is when fully healthy.
However, the Senators could get good value in return if they were to trade Norris. In the 2020-21 season, Norris made the NHL All-Rookie Team and finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting. In the following 2021-22 season, Norris recorded a 35-goal season along with a 55-point season. In 204 career games, Norris has recorded 137 points with 78 of his points being goals.
One thing that could cause teams to draw less interest in trading for Norris is his contract. Norris has a $7.95 million cap hit per year until 2030. With a high salary and lengthy contract, it could be a risk to take for other teams, but it would be a long contract that the Senators would get rid of if they were to work out a trade.
"If you're gonna start to make changes, you gotta begin to attack some of the core that's been for a long time that hasn't had success," Seravalli said. "Norris would be one of those guys that jumps to the top of the page."
Norris will be a name to keep an eye on for players that could be traded by the Senators. While the Senators have other players on the roster that could be seen as trade bait, Norris is the first name to pop up in rumors.