One of the Buffalo Sabres' primary concerns with acquiring Josh Norris was his extensive injury history. He missed time immediately after joining Buffalo last season, and now he is facing the possibility of another absence following the team's season-opening loss to the New York Rangers.

Lindy Ruff told reporters after the game that it was an upper-body injury and that his having to leave the game isn't a good sign for the prognosis. Considering Norris' main struggles to stay healthy were with his shoulder, and he seems to be favoring it in the video of the incident, the Sabres likely won't be receiving the most comforting news on Friday morning.

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While it hasn't been proven that it is a shoulder injury for Norris, Ruff and the Sabres are expecting the worst on Friday morning. The issue with lingering shoulder issues in a contact sport like hockey is that Norris could be facing a whole career of the issue popping up, which isn't ideal for a team that traded one of their brightest young players, Dylan Cozens, for Norris' services.

While there is no reason to believe that it is career-threatening, every injury to Norris' shoulder will take him further and further toward the point of no return. Another massive issue for the team's center, and an extended absence will only further the angst about the risk that Buffalo took in acquiring him.

The Sabres were already without Zach Benson for the season-opening loss as he took a puck to the face at Wednesday's practice and spent the night in the hospital. For an organization that always seems to have the worst luck, losing two of their forwards and getting shut out by their big brothers from New York in their home opener is a less-than-ideal way to start the 2025-26 season.