Sens must make do with a lineup without Josh Norris, in light of bad news

Coaches doodle. 

Day and night. 

Perhaps in their sleep. 

Certainly in their waking hours, coaches are scribbling their forward groups and defence pairings on whatever piece of paper or iPhone note app might be available. 

When you used to walk into the office of Brian Kilrea, the Hall of Fame coach for the Ottawa 67’s, you saw a roster on the wall across his desk, there so that he always knew what he had, who was in and who was out, who was healthy and who was not. 

So you can imagine the workings of Senators head coach D.J. Smith this summer, crossing off the likes of Alex DeBrincat, and adding wingers named Dominik Kubalik and Vladimir Tarasenko. 

One name that Smith was thrilled to add in, absent most of last year: centre Josh Norris. 

“When I’m doing my lineup in the middle of June and July, I have him in my lineup,” Smith told reporters on Saturday morning, hours before the final pre-season game against the visiting Montreal Canadiens. 

For the first time, Smith used the word “concerning” to describe the Norris situation. 

Norris was assumed ready to start training camp, but the first red flag appeared on a golf course of all places. Norris did not join the rest of the group as part of the pre-camp charity golf tournament at Loch March. It was later revealed he had “tweaked” something in his surgically-repaired shoulder and would start camp in a yellow, non-contact jersey. 

And, let’s be honest here. There hasn’t been much progress since then. 

Norris eventually shed the yellow jersey and joined the main group, but he said he needed to be mentally and physically prepared to play in a pre-season game. 

Then a few days ago, Smith admitted there had been a bit of a setback, but there was hope Norris could get into this last pre-season game. Saturday morning Smith put that notion to rest.

He described how hopes and plans for Norris had been dashed left and right along the way. 

“We thought he was going to play the game at home against Winnipeg and he wasn’t cleared or allowed to play,” Smith said. “Then we thought he would play against Pittsburgh. Same thing.

At this point, I’m just told he’s unable to play. But understand — the players, the player and ourselves all want Josh to play.”

Of course they do. And feel free to add in the Senators fan network, media who cover the team and the entire hockey world, or at least those aware of Norris and his attempt to rejoin his career at age 24. 

Two years ago, Norris was a 35-goal scorer. 

That excited the hockey operations department to the extent they signed him at age 22 to an eight-year, $63.6M contract. If nothing else, the kid has security. 

Now, though, having already been through two major shoulder surgeries, he is staring down the reality of starting the season on Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR), not the starting lineup he and everyone else imagined he would be. 

Smith relays what we might expect, there is frustration everywhere. From Norris, GM Pierre Dorion, the coaching staff and medical team. The head coach says they feel blindsided by this development. 

“We all thought Josh would go through a little bit of practice, take a few bumps and get in an exhibition game — and away we’d go,” Smith said. “And that just didn’t happen. With injuries, things happen sometimes, where maybe it didn’t rehab quite the way they expected. Everyone involved is not willing to let him go out there and play.”

 And to that we say, “Hallelujah!” 

The last thing anyone wants to see right now is for Norris to jump into action, play a few minutes and then leave the game with his arm limp. It would be devastating. Perhaps even career-ending. 

According to Smith “the training staff and doctors are telling me he’s not going to play.”

So now Smith is staring at a lineup sheet that has two pieces missing, right in the middle. Like the hole in a donut. 

No Norris at second line centre and no Shane Pinto, centering a third line, until he gets his contract sorted out. 

“It’s certainly not what we envisioned, but what choice do we have,” Smith said. “You have to put your best group out there. We’ve been playing without them throughout camp. At some point we know Pinto will be here. At some point hopefully Josh is here. All we can do is our best with what we have. We still think we’re good enough and competitive enough to be in every game.”

Smith’s doodling ensues. He pencils in a power play that doesn’t feature that Norris one-timer. 

He moves bodies around, promoting the likes of young Ridly Greig to fill spots temporarily. 

Pinto can’t get here soon enough. Even when he arrives, he will need some time to practise with the club before easing into NHL action. 

Meanwhile, as always it is next man up, blah blah. 

Smith must miss those summertime doodles when everything was good and everyone looked healthy, on paper.