Norris is in the third season of an eight-year, $63.6 million contract ($7.95 million AAV) he signed with the Senators on July 14, 2022. The 25-year-old forward has 33 points (20 goals, 13 assists) in 53 games this season.
The No. 19 pick by Ottawa in the 2017 NHL Draft, Norris has 156 points (90 goals, 66 assists) in 236 regular-season games.
“Yeah, it’s pretty tough,” Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk said. “It [stinks] losing a guy like [Norris]. Obviously, everybody knows how much he means to me. Just spent the last little bit with him and I’ll kind of take advantage of every minute for the rest of the day … Tough practice today.”
Bernard-Docker is in the last of a two-year, $1.61 million contract ($805,000 AAV) he signed with Ottawa on July 1, 2023, and can become a restricted free agent. The 24-year-old defenseman has four points (one goal, three assists) in 25 games this season.
The No. 26 pick by Ottawa in the 2018 NHL Draft, Bernard-Docker has 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 129 regular-season games.
The Senators (31-25-5) hold the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
The Sabres (24-31-6) is last in the East, 13 points behind Ottawa for the second wild card.
“It’s the unfortunate reality of it being a business,” Tkachuk said. “We’re getting back important pieces that are really going to help us. I mean, it [stinks]. It’s part of it, but with ‘Cozy’ and Gilbert, we’re going to welcome them with open arms. I feel bad a little bit that this is the initial reaction and of course I think they’re going to understand why it’s a little bit of a whirlwind for me personally, but with that being said, it’s all about being a good captain, being a good teammate and making sure that they have everything that they need and have the support right from Day 1. They’re going to be important pieces to our team.”
On Friday, the Sabres also signed Jason Zucker to a two-year, $4.75 million contract ($2.375 million AAV). He could have become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
NHL.com independent correspondent Callum Fraser contributed to this report
