Josh Norris is out for the season after the Ottawa Senators forward had surgery on his left shoulder for a third time, the Ottawa Sun reported.
"I don't have all the details, but he'll be out for the season," Senators coach Jacques Martin said Monday.
Norris was injured after colliding with Nashville Predators forward Cole Smith in the second period of a 4-1 loss at Bridgestone Arena on Feb. 27. Two days later, Martin said he'd be out "an extended period of time."
Ottawa placed Norris on injured reserve and recalled forward Zack Ostapchuk from Belleville of the American Hockey League on Tuesday.
Martin hopes Norris will be ready for the start of training camp in September.
"Normally, the recovery period is 4-6 months," Martin said. "When you look at the positive side, he should be able to have enough time to be able to start at training camp. It gives him some time to rehabilitate properly for the strength and everything, so what you're looking at is a fresh start next year."
Norris has 30 points (16 goals, 14 assists) in 50 games this season. He missed the preseason and the first three games of the regular season after tweaking his shoulder in training camp. He played eight games last season, injuring the shoulder in a game against the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 22, 2022. He returned Jan. 18, 2023. and played three games before season-ending surgery.
"You can't do anything about the past, Martin said. "You've got to look at the future. I don't know what the process was to get the shoulder repaired, but there's some thought put into it. I think he feels good about what's happened to him as far as the surgery and just moving forward to make sure that he's got the strength back."
Ostapchuk has 22 points (13 goals, nine assists) in 56 AHL games this season. The 20-year-old was a second-round pick (No. 39) by the Senators at the 2021 NHL Draft.
Ottawa (25-33-4) hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN5, SN-PIT).
