The Calgary Flames may not be interested in trading for rentals despite their hot start to the season, though that doesn’t mean they’ll be quiet, either. Along with plenty of rumours as of late that they may move goaltender Dan Vladar for future assets, general manager Craig Conroy has also stated on more than one occasion that he’s interested in trading for a centreman that, age-wise, fits their rebuilding timeline.
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Ideally, the Flames would like to target a centre who can produce points and be a top-six guy both now and years down the road when they believe they’ll be a contender. Doing so isn’t easy, as teams often need to draft and develop such players. Not often are they willing to part with them once they reach such status.
There are some young players whose names have been floated around in pure speculation, though most are far from sure things to become true top-six forwards. However, the Ottawa Senators, a team that is struggling yet again in 2024-25, are reportedly looking to shake things up, and are believed to be considering parting ways with a player who would be an excellent fit with the Flames.
Senators Have Discussed Moving Josh Norris
The Senators have failed to make the playoffs since their run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017. The hope was that acquiring a true number-one goalie in Linus Ullmark would be what it took to finally get them on track, but that hasn’t been the case. Through 23 games, they sit at just 10-12-1.
There have been calls from fans in recent years begging management to shake up the team’s core, and they may finally be willing to do so. According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, they’ve been reaching out to other front offices, and are at least considering moving second-line centreman Josh Norris.
“You have to be willing to shake things up and make a bigger splash, and I was told over the weekend that among the conversations that the Sens have been in over the last week to ten days, in terms of shaking up that core, one of the names that’s popped to the surface has been Josh Norris,” Seravalli said.
Seravalli mentioned Norris’ injury history as a concern, which is a fair and valid point. He suited up for just eight games in 2022-23 and missed 32 games in 2023-24. That said, he’s appeared in all 22 the Sens have played this season, and there are several areas of his game that make him an exciting potential piece for the Flames to add.
Norris, who was selected 29th overall in 2017, proved early into his NHL career that he was a highly skilled player, scoring 17 goals and 35 points in just 56 games. He improved upon that even further in his second campaign, putting up a career-high 35 goals and 55 points in just 66 contests.
The injuries began taking their toll shortly after, but Norris looks healthy once again this season and has gotten off to a solid start with nine goals and 15 points. Best of all, he’s only 25 years of age, which fits perfectly into the Flames’ timeline.
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The one concern some may have is Norris’ contract. The Senators took a chance on him after his 35-goal season, signing him to an eight-year, $63.6 million deal with an average annual value of $7.95 million. He hasn’t yet lived up to that hefty price tag, but has the talent to do so should he stay healthy from here on out.
Norris’ deal won’t expire until the end of the 2029-30 season, which may have some Flames fans thinking twice. That said, cap space is far from an issue with this team. Even with Jonathan Huberdeau’s $10.5 million on the books, they remain more than $17 million below the league’s maximum allowable cap. Furthermore, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently reported the maximum cap could increase to $97 million next season, a substantial raise over the current $88 million.
Hard to Assess Norris’ Trade Value
The one difficult thing to predict is what a package would look like to get Norris in a trade. Despite his injuries, he’s undeniably talented and still has room to grow. A first-round pick would get the ball rolling, but likely wouldn’t be enough in and of itself. That said, if the Flames also parted ways with a top prospect, say, perhaps, Samuel Honzek, would that prove to be enough?
A big part of this comes down to how badly the Senators want to shake things up, and, perhaps even more so, whether they feel Norris’ contract is one they need to get off the books. If that is the way they feel, moving him for a package such as a Flames first and a prospect like Honzek may at least be enough to get the ball rolling in regards to getting a trade done.
