NHL Rumors: 3 Options For Sabres To Replace Center Josh Norris

Despite their first win on Wednesday night, the Buffalo Sabres are already facing a crisis about the future of the team, and what happens with star forward Alex Tuch.

Aside from those existential issues, the Sabres are also dealing with another long absence for center Josh Norris. He'll be out for "a significant amount of time." It's a hole in the lineup they need to fill, and Matthew Fairburn writes in The Athletic about several options the Sabres could opt to try to replace him.

Rickard Rakell linked to Sabres as trade solution to Josh Norris absence

We'll start with the trade market. A splashy trade for Pittsburgh Penguins veteran scoring forward Rickard Rakell would bring a consistent producer into the fold. He hasn't been a full-time center for a while, but it's a position he can play.

"Rakell’s flexibility to play center and wing would give Ruff some lineup options," writes Fairburn. "And it helps that Rakell has a 52 percent on-ice expected goals share for his career, so he can be counted on defensively."

The 32-year-old is one of the big names that Penguins GM Kyle Dubas could be looking at moving in an attempt to expedite his rebuild. Rakell is coming off a career year, with personal bests of 35 goals and 70 points. He already has two goals and four points in the Pens' first five games this season.

Will the Sabres move Tage Thompson back to center?

If the price is too high to obtain Rakell (and many feel it will be), then how about replacing him at center by simply moving Tage Thompson back to the pivot, suggests Fairburn. He was moved to the wing last season, and it paid off with a terrific 44-goal season. Of course, Thompson has had more than his fair share of success at the center spot as well over the course of his career.

This move "would allow the Sabres to go with a top line of Thompson, Zach Benson (when he’s healthy) or Jason Zucker and Alex Tuch. Thompson and Tuch were a dynamic pair once upon a time," writes Fairburn.

Will 2022 first-rounder Noah Ostlund get the call to replace Norris at center?

Ostlund was the 16th overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, but has had only an eight-game trial (last season) thus far. He's off to a great start to the AHL season with the Rochester Americans, with five points in three games.

While fourth-liner Josh Dunne got the call immediately after Norris's injury to fill his spot on the roster, how about going instead with a player with some offensive chops to replace what they lose without Norris in the lineup? Ostlund is a center, and "his offensive skill has been obvious during his brief NHL auditions," wrote Fairburn. "He could add some playmaking to Buffalo’s middle six."

For now, head coach Lindy Ruff is going with another former first-rounder, Jiri Kulich, in that top-line center spot.