The Sabres are heading into training camp with the same uncomfortable question hanging over their forward group: who is going to handle the No. 1 center job?
For now, Josh Norris looks like the most natural answer if Lindy Ruff wants to keep Tage Thompson on the wing. That setup has long been Ruff’s preference, since it lets Buffalo’s most dangerous forward attack with more freedom and fewer defensive burdens. But the fit comes with a familiar catch - Norris’ health history is impossible to ignore.
The 27-year-old University of Michigan product has never played more than 66 games in a season. That came in 2021-22 with the Ottawa Senators, when he also set career highs with 35 goals and 55 points.
Since then, the injuries have kept piling up. Last season started badly when Norris was hurt in the Sabres’ season-opening loss to the New York Rangers, costing him nearly two months.
Another ailment knocked him out from mid-January through late February, and he finished with only 44 regular-season games before spending even more time out during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
When Norris was on the ice, he produced. He finished with 34 points, including 13 goals and 21 assists. The problem is that Buffalo can’t build around that kind of availability track record and pretend the concern isn’t real.
Still, if the Sabres are going to start with Thompson on the wing, Norris is the cleanest option to center the first line. The alternatives don’t line up nearly as well.
Jiri Kulich is coming back after missing most of last season with a blood clot. Konsta Helenius has real long-term upside, but throwing a rookie into first-line center duty would be a big ask.
Ryan McLeod has been more comfortable in a middle-six role in Buffalo.
So, at least to begin the season, it feels like the choice comes down to Norris or Thompson.
Buffalo’s decision to keep Norris past July 1 also says something. If the team had wanted to move on, it likely would have tried before his 10-team no-trade clause kicked in. Instead, the Sabres let that date pass, which amounts to a quiet show of confidence from general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.
That doesn’t mean Norris is untouchable. He could still be moved before his contract runs out in 2030. But any future trade conversation would be tougher for Buffalo to navigate, since players usually place the league’s worst teams and least desirable locales on those lists.
The numbers back up the idea that Norris is worth betting on. HockeyStats.com’s three-year weighted average has him in the 87th percentile among forwards in projected wins above replacement.
He sits in the 50th percentile in even-strength offense, the 77th percentile in even-strength defense and the 94th percentile in finishing. That’s the profile of a player who can make a real impact if he can just stay available.
Buffalo would love to see Norris put together a stretch of 70 or even 80 games. In the short term, that kind of reliability could help the club absorb the loss of Alex Tuch up front.
Even then, the Sabres shouldn’t stop looking for a true top-line center. They made a push for the St. Louis Blues’ Robert Thomas before last season’s trade deadline, and he still looks like an ideal fit if he ever becomes available again.
If Buffalo ever lands that kind of addition, Norris could still have a place in the lineup. In fact, sliding him into a second-line role would soften the blow every time injuries strike and give the organization less downside risk.
For now, though, the focus is simple: how will Buffalo’s first set of forward lines look when the reigning Atlantic Division champions open training camp later this month?
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Columbus was a problem for Buffalo last season, the kind of opponent that can quietly chip away at playoff positioning when a team expects to take care of business. The schedule gives the Sabres multiple opportunities to make the point this time around, and the pressure is on them to avoid another slip against a weaker division foe if they want to keep their place in the postseason race. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Turn September Into A Full Fan Kickoff Before Hockey Returns
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For a fan base that treats the return of hockey as its own season, the timing makes sense. Buffalo has also said more details on Training Camp and other fan opportunities will come as the season gets closer, which means September could still get fuller as the organization keeps building toward puck drop. [Read more 🡒]