Josh Norris is out indefinitely for the Ottawa Senators because of a shoulder injury.
Norris was limited to eight games last season. He injured his shoulder in a game against the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 22, then returned Jan. 18 and played three games before having season-ending surgery.
The 24-year-old forward was expected to be ready for training camp and play during the preseason but did not.
The Senators lost their preseason finale 6-4 to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday and will open the regular season at the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, SN1, RDS).
"It's concerning. When I'm doing my lineup in the middle of June and July, I have him in my lineup," Senators coach D.J. Smith said Saturday. "… At this point, I am being told he is unable to play. We will continue doing what we're doing but understand that the player and ourselves all want Josh to play."
Norris, who had three points (two goals, one assist) last season, was expected to play on the second line with Vladimir Tarasenko and Drake Batherson, and on the top power-play unit.
"Right now, the training staff and doctors are telling me that he's not going to play," Smith said. "Again, it's unfortunate. I know the kid wants to play hockey. As a coaching staff, we've had to change some things around, especially our power play. We always have Josh in that one-time spot. Never did we think that possibly we'd start the year without him, and it certainly looks that way."
Norris signed an eight-year, $63.6 million contract ($7.95 million average annual value) with the Senators on July 14, 2022.
He has 93 points (54 goals, 39 assists) in 133 regular-season games, all with Ottawa, including scoring an NHL career-high 35 goals in 66 games in 2021-22.
"It's frustrating for everyone involved,” Smith said. “He's a big part of this team, but all we can do is have a next-guy-up mentality and do what we need to do."
