Buffalo Must Get Big Season Out Of First-Year Sabres Center Norris

The NHL’s 2025-26 season is almost here, and it’s a great time here at THN.com’s Buffalo Sabres site to continue this player-by-player series in which we break down expectations for each Sabres player in 2025-26.

The Sabres need desperately to get into the Stanley Cup playoffs. But as individuals, each Sabres player has their own expectations.

We’ve gone through Buffalo’s goalies and defensemen in this series. And in this file, we’re focusing on Sabres No. 1 center Josh Norris, who came to the Sabres in the deal that sent Dylan Cozens to the Ottawa Senators. But Norris will have to stay healthy to justify the trade, and that’s something that hasn’t been easy for him to do in five NHL seasons..

Player Name: Josh Norris

Position: Center

Age: 26

2024-25 Key Statistics: 56 games, 21 goals, 35 points, 18:36 average time-on-ice

2025-26 Salary: $7.95 million

2025-26 Expectations: Norris was enjoying a bounce-back season with the Senators, posting 20 goals and 33 points in 53 games when he was dealt to Ottawa. And after he arrived in Buffalo, Norris appeared in only three games before the Sabres’ season ended.

But at that point, Sabres fans were willing to cut Norris some slack.

That said, the goodwill will end  if Norris can’t get into groove as a key contributor. He’s got to appear in at least 70 games, and be Buffalo’s catalyst on offense on a top line.

Nothing short of career-best numbers will satisfy Sabres fans’ desire to get back to the playoffs. And ideally, Buffalo should – should expect a 35-40-goal season out of Norris. He’s the Sabres’ highest-paid forward, and he needs to play like one. And playing on. a top line with star winger Tage Thompson shoulhelp Norris to achieve that goal.

At 26-years old, Norris no longer has time on his side. But his salary and skills package dictate he be afforded every opportunity to succeed. He needs to prove to everyone (himself included) that he can stay healthy and contribute throughout the regular-season.

Because he’s signed through the 2020-30 season, Norris isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. But time could drag on for Norris if he can’t right the ship and plays a full regular-season, Norris has no-trade clause protectio in his current deal, but that doesn’t kick in until next summer.

For now, though, the challenge for Norris is clear – be an effective number-one center, and make his teammates around him better. If he can’t do that and Buffalo struggles in the standings, Sabres fans will be rueing the day Buffalo  GM Kevyn Adams acquired him.