The Buffalo Sabres are arguably the NHL’s hottest team at this moment, having won 18 of their last 22 games. They’ve kept up their winning ways more recently despite the loss of center Josh Norris, who suffered a rib injury on Jan. 14. While the latest injury to the Sabres’ oft-injured pivot was a cause of concern, it appears he is progressing in the right direction and is nearing a return to game fitness. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff told the media, including Buffalo Hockey Beat’s Bill Hoppe, that Norris’ status has been upgraded to day-to-day. Blueliner Jacob Bryson, who was placed on IR on Jan. 23, is also day-to-day.
While star Tage Thompson is undoubtedly Buffalo’s best and most effective forward, Norris has pushed him for that mantle at times this season. The 26-year-old has scored 17 points in 19 games this season, including a stretch in early December where he managed seven points in just four games before suffering another injury. Norris was acquired by the Sabres last season at the deadline in a trade that sent pivot Dylan Cozens (and a second-round pick) to the Ottawa Senators. It was a calculated risk for Buffalo, who elected to take on Norris’ $7.95MM AAV contract that runs through the end of the decade. Former GM Kevyn Adams’ calculated risk has paid off when Norris has been healthy, but he’s only played in 22 total games as a Sabre. Now that he’s inching closer to full health, whether he can stay on the ice will be the clear top storyline to watch regarding Norris as his Sabres tenure progresses.
Other notes from across the hockey world:
- San Jose Sharks 2025 first-round pick Joshua Ravensbergen will leave the CHL to play NCAA hockey for Michigan State University next season, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported today. Ravensbergen, 19, is one of the top goalie prospects in the sport, and will leave the WHL’s Prince George Cougars to play college hockey, rather than turn pro. Ravensbergen, who turns 20 in November, would have been eligible to play in the AHL (or ECHL) next season after at some point signing his ELC. Now, he’ll forgo that path in order to follow Detroit Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine as a top young goalie developing with the Spartans. The move also signals that Augustine is likely to turn pro after three seasons at Michigan State. Augustine was his conference’s top goalie last year and has a .938 save percentage in 17 contests in 2025-26.
- Puckpedia outlined some of the NHL’s roster restrictions for the upcoming Olympic break in a post today, highlighting a few ways in which NHL teams will be restricted from moving players while NHL games pause for the tournament in Italy. During the roster freeze, which begins the afternoon of Feb. 4 and ends on Feb. 23, no trades are permitted. In addition, players who are waivers-exempt can only be sent down if they have not played in 16 of the team’s 20 NHL games prior to the freeze, or have been on the NHL roster for 80 league days prior to Jan 21. Puckpedia also clarified that players can be placed on waivers during the freeze, but if a team is waived after a team’s final game before the freeze begins, that player will not need to report until Feb. 17. These rules are likely to impact some of the transactions that get made in the coming days ahead of the freeze, as teams position themselves, and their prospects, for the break in the schedule.