The Buffalo Sabres’ start to the 2025-26 season could not get any worse. After getting blown out in their season opener by the New York Rangers, the club lost one of its top forwards to injury.
On Saturday, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff confirmed Sabres fans’ worst fears. Center Josh Norris will be out for an undisclosed amount of time. But as Ruff noted, the club will be without Norris for a while.
Ruff noted:
“He’s going to miss a significant amount of time. I don’t know what that amount is for sure. But he’s still being evaluated.”
Ruff didn’t get into the specifics of the injury. The only information he provided was:
“It’s an upper body.”
That lack of clarity regarding Norris’ injury is no bueno for the Sabres. The club is trying to shake off nearly 15 years of playoff misses. The team, while certainly talented, has been unable to translate its potential into a winning season.
Given the amount of time Norris could miss, the Sabres will need to rally around their current core. Unfortunately for Sabres fans, the inauspicious start to the season could be a harbinger for another disappointing campaign.
It’s still early. So, there’s plenty of time for the Sabres to recover and get into the playoff hunt.
Kulich to Emerge as Sabres’ Top Center
A healthy Josh Norris would take over the top-line center role for the Sabres. However, his absence creates an opportunity for second-year center Jiri Kulich to cement himself in that role.
Kulich, the Sabres’ 28th overall pick from the 2022 NHL Draft, played 62 games last season. The 21-year-old scored 15 goals and 24 points. While he wasn’t overpowering, he showed plenty of potential.
In instances where Kulich got his chances, he didn’t look out of place. Now, the Sabres will be looking to see if Kulich can hold down the top-line center role with a clear path to do so. Kulich would likely lineup with Tage Thompson and Jason Zucker. That line could be a solid scoring group as the Sabres look to establish their lineup for the foreseeable future.
Buffalo May Need to Trade for Another Center
The biggest question is: What happens if Kulich can’t take over at the top-line center?
In that case, the Sabres might need to look for another top-six center to supplant Norris’ role in the lineup.
However, the Sabres may need to evaluate if making such a trade would make sense for them. If Buffalo is in the playoff race, it could make sense. But if the Sabres are out of the playoff race early in the season, the path forward might be to let Kulich run with the top-line center role.
With so many question marks, the Sabres may have no other choice but to grit through the situation.
If there’s a silver lining in this entire ordeal, it’s that Norris’ injury happened very early in the season. There’s still enough time for the club to regroup and reset the lineup to accommodate Norris’ absence.
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