The Buffalo Sabres have an organization full of talented young forwards.
That was always going to come to a head at some point. Someone is going to end up on the outside looking in. And in the early going of the 2026-27 season, it’s looking like it might be Josh Norris.
It’s probably too early to make any sweeping conclusions, but it’s not too early to acknowledge that Norris hasn’t begun this season the way he wanted to.
It’s also fair to wonder if this could mean Norris is a trade candidate at some point going forward.
Josh Norris Trade Rumors
The Athletic had its writers suggest a potential trade candidate for each team in the NHL.
For the Sabres, beat writer Matthew Fairburn wrote that Norris would be the guy if Buffalo were to make an early move.
“Norris recently spent time on the fourth line after he started the season on the top line,” Fairburn writes. “He’s off to a sluggish start and has been injured often during his Buffalo tenure. His $7.95 million cap hit for three seasons after this one and his 10-team no-trade list could be roadblocks, but his reduced role is worth watching.”
That demotion to the fourth line was as telling as anything. It was a quick move down the pecking order.
The Sabres may have been trying to send a message to Norris, but the young center hasn’t picked things up yet.
Some would suggest there’s still plenty of time, and that the Sabres can’t afford to give up on him too early. But most players on the Sabres’ roster don’t seem like trade candidates. Norris certainly does.
But For Who?
That’s the thing about any potential trade once the season begins — what trading partner has a player that the Sabres want while also being a team that wants Norris. They can’t be on his no-trade list, either.
So that does narrow down the options to some extent, and maybe it’d make it too tough to trade Norris while he isn’t playing well.
But there are plenty of talented players who seem to be on the trade block, led by the likes of Connor Hellebuyck and Dylan Larkin.
The Sabres have been more connected to Hellebuyck, and maybe Norris would have nothing to do with a potential trade. But Buffalo should be thinking big. Another team might like Norris’ youth and potential, if he does end up on the trade block. The Sabres can’t afford to sell too low, if they sell anyway. There are still big goals to be reached in Buffalo.
Sabres Put on Notice About Josh Norris Trade