Senators finalize roster
Josh Norris edges past fourth-year hopeful Logan Brown,
Josh Norris had a hard time wiping the smile off his face. He's ready to make the next step.
The decisions have been made on the Senators' final roster, with the season-opening series against the Toronto Maple Leafs set for Friday and Saturday night at the Canadian Tire Centre, and the sophomore centre made the cut.
Norris, 21, a key piece in the deal that sent defenceman Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks in September 2018, was among the 26 players on the ice Tuesday morning and he'll start the season in Ottawa after winning a battle for a job in training camp.
Skating between old pal Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson the morning after Ottawa held its final scrimmage Monday night at home, Norris, who had 31 goals and 61 points in 56 games with the club's AHL affiliate in Belleville last season, was thrilled with the news he'd made the Senators coming out of camp.
“I'm super-excited. It's a goal that I had in mind coming into camp,” Norris told reporters in a Zoom call following the club's skate. “I'm just happy. For me, I've been trying to take it one day at a time and I've been trying to get a little bit better at something every day and carry that confidence with me into every practice and game.
“Confidence is something that's really important, and without it you're going to be in trouble. It's so important for everybody on this team, and for myself, to have success.”
Though the Senators have Wednesday off and their roster will be released by the NHL at noon, after the 5 p.m. team-filing deadline Tuesday, all the decisions have already been made by general manager Pierre Dorion, assistant GM Peter MacTavish, coach D.J. Smith and the staff on who will be here.
Going into camp, the belief was centre Logan Brown and Norris were competing for one job, and since Norris is here the expectation is the former will be sent to the club's AHL affiliate in Belleville. This is the 22-year-old Brown's fourth year in the organization and a change of scenery may be best for both sides.
A No. 11 overall pick in 2015, Brown has had success at the AHL level but hasn't been able to transfer that here or stay healthy, either. Nobody has said this publicly or privately, but this felt like a make or break opportunity for Brown, and he was beaten out by Norris for the job.
Yes, the six-man taxi squad is a possibility for Brown until the AHL season starts Feb. 5, but it feels like that may not happen for him. Forward Filip Chlapik, who had two goals in the club's intrasquad game, cleared waivers Tuesday but there's no reason to believe he isn't still isn't in the mix. Smith said the club will have two extra defencemen along with three extra forwards on the taxi squad, which means Ottawa will carry the maximum 29 players to start the year. That includes goalies Matt Murray and Marcus Hogberg, while Joey Daccord is the leading candidate at No. 3.
Forward Micheal Haley, who also cleared waivers Tuesday, was on the ice, which means he'll start the season as an extra along with defencemen Christian Wolanin and Artem Zub.