The Senators have missed Josh Norris' impact and he's making the best of it

When the Ottawa Senators acquired Josh Norris from the San Jose Sharks in 2018 in part of the Erik Karlsson trade, the Senators were hoping they would get a highly talented offensive player.

Norris would have to wait until the 2019-20 season to play for the Senators, but went pointless in the three games he played. In the following 2020-21 season, Norris recorded 35 points on a struggling Senators team and made the NHL All-Rookie Team.

Ottawa lucked out having Norris produce offense in 2021 after trading Karlsson, but were dealt a heavy hand in the following three seasons due to injuries to Norris. Ottawa needs Norris to be healthy to have success and Norris has contributed so far this season.

Norris averaging one point per game through first five games is right step in right direction

Through five games into the 2024-25 season, Norris is third on the Senators for most points on the team with five. At 25 years old, Norris has averaged one point per game so far, and is tied for most goals on the team with three alongside Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle.

Getting offensive production from Norris early does show how important he is to the Senators because the Senators have desperately missed him. Over the past three seasons, Norris has missed 122 combined games. Norris missed 74 games in the 2022-23 season and missed 32 games last season.

When healthy, Norris is a big key to Ottawa's offense. Norris' offensive production was shown when he recorded 55 points and scored 35 goals in the 2021-22 season despite missing 16 games that season. This season, Norris appears to be back to his old self from three years ago.

Norris has recorded at least one point in three of the Senators' five games, and recorded a three-point game against the Los Angeles Kings this past Monday which included two goals. In yesterday's win against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Norris scored his third goal of the season. Norris has scored on three of his seven shots on goal making it good for 43 percent, so Norris has the ability to shoot the puck well.

To add more to his production to his game, Norris has won 54 percent of his face-offs so far this season. The Senators have missed Norris' impact for years due to injuries and he's showing why five games into this season. A career year could be on the horizon for Norris if he finishes the season fully healthy and produces points.