What promised to be a very promising season Josh Norris took a disappointing turn last week when the Ottawa Senators striker suffered a shoulder injury.
His absence could be very long. The senators, in fact, are crossing their fingers so that he can return to the field before the end of the season.
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It’s a shame for Norris, who showed excellent progress last year, when he lowered his average points per game from 0.63 (35 in 56 games) to 0.83 (55 in 66). So far this season he has scored one goal and one assist in five games.
Thanks to the summer acquisitions of the Senators, attackers Claude Giroux et Alex DeBrincat, Norris’ production potential was even higher, as he had been playing with them since the beginning of the program in the second line. The first unit consists of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson.
With two lines of this quality, the opponent cannot focus on one line, which would provide more offensive opportunities for Norris and his two teammates. In addition, he was the fifth most used player in power play before the game in which he was injured.
Head coach DJ Smith didn’t long hide his game to announce who would be called to replace Norris.
“It’s a shame Josh can’t be part of the solution, but we have a guy like [Shane Pinto] “Said the coach on Wednesday. “(CEO) Pierre (Dorion) did a good job getting his hands on (Derick) Brassard. “
You would have thought that Pinto, who is still considered a rookie even though he has played in the NHL for the past two seasons, would have been the one who would take all the responsibility. He is making a great start to the season with six goals and seven points from eight games, but Smith has decided otherwise. Pinto remains on the third line, a unit completed by Tyler Motte (seven points in eight parts) e Mathieu Joseph (two points in eight games) which works quite well.
It is rather the veteran Derick Brassard who finds himself at the center of Giroux and DeBrincat. An important promotion for the Quebecer, who, let’s remember, had to wait a few hours before the first game of the season before getting the contract, he who was a guest at the Ottawa training camp.
Brassard brings some defensive stability to this line, which allows Giroux and DeBrincat to attack more, a role that might have been less appropriate for a rookie like Pinto. But can Brassard suddenly become an attractive target for poolers? Much less certain is he who from 2017-2018 does not reach the milestone of 40 points in one season.
In Saturday’s 5-3 defeat to the Florida Panthers, Brassard played 13:22, including 1:20 in power play and 1:27 short of a man. He was bleached from the sheet of the marker.
Poolers who own Pinto, however, can rejoice, since he inherited Norris’ playing time on power play. He also took the opportunity to score the first goal of the Ottawa game on Saturday, with a shot from the slot. He was also on the ice during the goal of Nick Holdenscored five on five.
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These same poolers can especially rejoice that Pinto has this unexpected chance to prove himself in Norris’ absence. If he gets the job done, he could be quickly moved to one of the first two lines and quickly enter the discussion for the title of rookie of the year, the one who ranks second among first year players.
Not bad for a second round pick (32nd overall) that missed most of the 2021-22 season due to a shoulder injury.
