Norris ‘grateful to be back’ for Senators after 3 shoulder surgeries 

NEW YORK -- Josh Norris is in such a good headspace these days that he even laughed at the mention of having a bionic left shoulder after three surgeries on it since 2019, two in the past 22 months.

"The last surgery I had was to put some screws in it," Norris said. "I just feel more comfortable with that."

The Ottawa Senators forward not only feels comfortable, he's happy again -- happy to be healthy, happy to be playing, happy to be, as he said, "feeling good, man."

He played 58 of a possible 164 games the previous two seasons because of multiple shoulder operations, but Norris has appeared in all 13 of Ottawa's games this season and has eight points (four goals, four assists), averaging 18:50 of ice time per game centering its second line with Claude Giroux and Drake Batherson.

"I think you can see now how free he is mentally and how he's enjoying being at the rink," Giroux said. "He doesn't take it for granted and we're obviously very happy to have him here."

Norris first had surgery after sustaining a shoulder injury playing for the United States at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship. He played 17 games for the University of Michigan before the World Juniors, but none after.

He returned and made it through the next three seasons without issue. He signed an eight-year, $63.6 million contract ($7.95 million average annual value) with the Senators on July 14, 2022, after he had 55 points (35 goals, 20 assists) in 66 games during the 2021-22 season.

He was on track to be one of the Senators' core players and one of the top U.S.-born players in the NHL.

But Norris hurt his shoulder in a game against the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 22, 2022, suffering a left labral subluxation. He missed 38 games before returning Jan. 18, 2023. Three games later, he sustained another shoulder injury; this one required surgery, his first as an NHL player.

He played eight games that season.

"The first time, you think it happens and it obviously stinks, but you're just trying to get back as quick as you can by doing all the right things," Norris said.

Norris missed the preseason and the first three regular-season games of 2023-24, but he got back on the ice in a game against the Washington Capitals on Oct. 18, 2023. He scored two goals. All seemed well.

For a little while.

Norris played 50 of the next 54 games last season, but his left shoulder gave out on him again in a game against the Nashville Predators on Feb. 27.

This time, it was hard for Norris to handle.

"I knew right away when it happened, but it was kind of weird because, like, it hurt but I was like, 'There's no way this can happen again like that,'" Norris said. "It was really weird, man. I was kind of out of it for a bit right after the game, very emotional. An injury like that, when it happens multiple times, mentally it's hard to grasp and understand what is going on. It was just a weird time."

On March 11, the Senators announced Norris had surgery on his left shoulder and would miss the remainder of the season.

"I mean, I'm human, right? So, it's second nature to wonder where my health was at and how this was going to move forward," Norris said. "But I was confident in the surgeon that performed on me and the type of procedure. I know guys who have done that in the past and they've all come out very well. I had more confidence going into that before going under and that definitely put me in a better headspace, but the mental side when you come out of it, that's the hard one. You're a part of the team, but you're not really part of the team."

His teammates did the best they could to make him feel a part of it.

"I just wanted to be a friend," Senators captain Brady Tkachuk said. "If he wanted to talk to me about anything I was always available, always around. It's just natural to have those negative thoughts and feelings of disappointment. The team was very supportive from the management staff and coaches, and as teammates it was on us to be there for him whenever he needed us."

Ottawa lost its first five games without Norris (0-4-1) and eight of 11 (3-7-1).

"Well, you have a plan on how you want to build your team, how your team looks, and he's one of the biggest pieces on our team," Giroux said. "When you take a first- or second-line center out of your lineup, it trickles down and you need other guys to step up.

"Now, you can just see what we've been missing."

The Senators are 6-5-0 through 11 games, averaging 3.82 goals per game and they're 33.3 percent on the power play. Norris is third among Ottawa's forwards in total ice time. He plays regularly on both special teams. He's arguably its best two-way center.

"I still think I haven't even started to scratch the surface of what I can be," Norris said. "I am inching toward that, but I don't want to use my injuries as an excuse either."

They are a part of his story, though.

They're also a source of his motivation.

"It's how you rebound, how you move forward, and that's been my focus," Norris said. "I think it's more the mental headspace of enjoying coming to the rink every day. I haven't had that. Now that I'm back healthy, I don't want to take it for granted because you never know what's going to happen. I'm just grateful to be back."