Josh Norris suffered a worrying injury in the Buffalo Sabres’ matchup against the New York Rangers, on the same day Ryan Callahan announced he was stepping away from ESPN.

In the third period, Norris was part of a faceoff when he fell to his knees on the ice. The 26-year-old remained on his knees and was eventually replaced, though it was not entirely clear what caused the American to crumple to the ice and not return to the game for the Sabres after that moment.

After the Sabres’ 4-0 loss to the Rangers, Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff spoke with reporters about Norris’s injury but remained mum on what exactly happened. Of note, Jamie Benn suffered a scary injury himself, finding himself out until Oct. 23 with a collapsed lung.

“He didn’t finish the game, so I’m going to say that’s not a good sign,” Ruff said simply when asked about the 26-year-old’s status after the worrying scenes. The head coach did admit that Norris suffered an upper-body injury but declined to elaborate further.

This is just the latest chapter in Norris’s injury-plagued career, as he struggles to get healthy for a full campaign. In his six seasons in the NHL, Norris has only played in more than 56 games in a season once, when he appeared in 66 games for the Ottawa Senators in the 2021-22 season.

The following season, Norris played in only eight games and then 50 contests in the 2023-24 season. Last season, the American played 53 games for the Senators before he was traded to the Sabres with Jacob Bernard-Docker for Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert and a 2026 second-round pick.

Norris only played three games for the Sabres after the trade, missing the final 18 contests of the year with a torn oblique muscle. Fans on social media shared their frustration at seeing Norris deal with yet another injury after having a career filled with them, despite being only 26 years old.

“I will always always wish Josh Norris the best, and I cannot imagine how frustrating it is for him to never be able to stay healthy,” a fan wrote on X. “But this is why you make that Cozens trade and Staios did well to get something for Norris before something popped up (or out) again.”

Along with Norris, the Sabres had to adjust to not having Zach Benson join the team in their home opener against the Rangers. Benson was injured during the preseason, and Ruff provided more clarity on what the 20-year-old suffered as he continues to recover.

DON’T MISS…

“Benson, I’ll share with you, he spent the night in the hospital last night,” the head coach continued. “That little cut on his face turned into something bigger. Crazy. I mean, just a crazy incident.

“I won’t go into any more detail, but that’s where he watched the game from tonight, and we didn’t really expect that.”

In the end, Benson’s freak injury and his hospitalization — along with Norris suffering an injury in the first game of the season — are aspects of the sport that Ruff and the Sabres will just have to adjust to, the Sabres head coach suggested. “Just something that, just chalk it up as this bizarre stuff that’s been happening to us in the preseason,” he said.