At the 2025 NHL trade deadline, the Vancouver Canucks were ready to make a bold move — a swap that could have reshaped their center depth and potentially altered their playoff trajectory. Instead, what emerged was a behind-the-scenes saga involving Filip Chytil, Josh Norris, and two franchises at a crossroads.
According to reporting from Patrick Johnston of The Province, the Canucks were actively exploring a trade involving Ottawa Senators forward Josh Norris. At the same time, Vancouver was looking to offload Filip Chytil, who had joined the team earlier in the season but was quickly seen as expendable — in part due to recurring concussion issues that plagued his time in Vancouver.
“There was serious interest in Josh Norris,” Johnston noted in a season-end review with The Province’s Paul Chapman. “And from what I understand, there was a scenario where Filip Chytil might’ve gone the other way.” Unfortunately for the Canucks, the deal never materialized — and not just because of logistics.
Chytil, a skilled but oft-injured 25-year-old, finished the season with 26 points in 66 games — a modest return made more concerning by yet another concussion, suffered in mid-March after a hit from Chicago’s Jason Dickinson. It was the latest setback in a season that had already raised concerns about Chytil’s long-term durability.
Ottawa, meanwhile, had problems of its own with Norris, a once-promising forward whose breakout 2021-22 campaign (35 goals in 66 games) had long been overshadowed by shoulder injuries and limited ice time. The Senators ultimately dealt Norris to the Buffalo Sabres as part of the Dylan Cozens blockbuster on March 7. He appeared in just three games for Buffalo before injury struck again.
The irony? Neither team ended up with the player they initially desired, and both are left wondering what might have been.
Beyond the on-ice calculus, there was a personal angle that gave the Canucks extra incentive: Norris is a close friend of Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes. A reunion of the former U.S. National Team Development Program teammates may have helped solidify chemistry in the Canucks’ locker room — something the front office reportedly took into consideration during negotiations.
In the end, the non-trade did little to shape the season’s outcome. Norris played just a handful of games in Buffalo. Chytil ended the year on injured reserve. And the Canucks, despite showing flashes of promise, exited the postseason early — still in search of a consistent, healthy top-six center.
While fans will only ever be left to speculate about what a Norris-for-Chytil swap could have meant, the saga serves as a reminder of how quickly trade deadline ambitions can be derailed by health concerns, timing, and the unpredictable nature of the NHL market.
Would acquiring Norris have moved the needle for the Canucks? Maybe not in the short term. But in a league where windows can close overnight, Vancouver’s near-miss feels like a missed opportunity that could haunt them if their center woes persist into next season.
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