“Um, yeah. Yeah, it’s pretty tough… So yeah, I don’t want to… Yeah, it sucks. Losing a guy like that,” said Brady Tkachuk, his voice trembling and visibly emotional, in the wake of Josh Norris’ trade to the Buffalo Sabres. After spending seven long seasons playing together for the Senators, Norris wasn’t just his teammate, he was his best friend. Adding to their close friendship is the fact that Tkachuk and Norris, along with Tim Stutzle used to be roommates. And Norris? It was equally hard to say his goodbyes too. With the dust finally beginning to settle, Stutzle opened up about the aftermath of the trade in a discussion with  Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette.

In episode 555 of Spittin’ Chiclets on YouTube, Senators center Tim Stutzle candidly discussed Norris’ trade to the Sabres, remarking, “Yeah, obviously it was tough. Like, right after it happened, it was tough. I drove him to the airport, too, so it was pretty hard. We packed all his shit with a bunch of the guys who came over. But obviously we realized it’s part of the business, and obviously he’s still in contact, and wish him all the best. And it’s obviously great having Cozi and Gilbert, and they’re two great guys, so they’re awesome playing cards together on the plane as well with Cozi.”

Sure enough, the Senators acquired defender Dennis Gilbert, forward Dylan Cozens, and a 2026 second-round selection from the Sabres. And despite the difficulty of bidding adieu to a close friend, Stutzle had been getting along well with his new teammates,  “He’s [Cozens] a great guy, adapted really quick to the group, and we were really fortunate to have him. He’s a great player. Yeah, but in the end, it obviously sucked to see a teammate go on the close friend, but that’s a team decision. We can’t really do anything about it, so we’re really happy to have Cozi and Gilbert.”

But the sad feelings weren’t just limited to Ottawa. The day of the trade was an emotional one for Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens as well, as the two were also the best of friends. It was an emotional farewell for Cozens, though these difficult trades are simply a part of the game. Especially when you’re the Buffalo Sabres having yet another season to forget. “Anyone that plays in the league knows this is the nature of the business. I think that gets magnified when you’re losing,” said Thompson.

It’s a trade that had emotions running high on either end, with more players apart from the ones being traded being closely affected. But as disappointed as Norris was at being traded, he was also looking forward to his new start in Buffalo

Josh Norris was hopeful about his fresh start

Josh Norris spent six seasons wearing the Ottawa Senators jersey, and sharing the ice with Brady Tkachuk. However, the situation shifted dramatically the moment he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres. Throughout six seasons, he participated in 236 regular season games with the Senators, achieving 90 goals, 66 assists, and a total of 156 points.

Norris donned the no. 37 jersey while in Ottawa but made the switch to no. 9 upon joining the Sabres, declaring, “New number, new me.” Without a doubt, it was accompanied by a broad grin, as the forward eagerly anticipated embarking on an entirely new chapter in the NHL.

“It was a weird day yesterday for sure, a lot of hard goodbyes in Ottawa. But I’m really excited to be here. It’s always a team that’s not easy to play against when they’re clicking, and they have a lot of really good pieces. I’m just excited to get going here. It’s a fresh start for me and like I said, I’m really excited to be here,” Norris remarked, emphasizing the challenges he faced with his exit from Ottawa. However, the center remained optimistic, eagerly anticipating the opportunities that lay ahead as he put on that Sabres jersey.