Stefan Noesen

Marcus Johansson Placed On Injured Reserve

December 21, 2018 at 4:00 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The New Jersey Devils will be without the services of Marcus Johansson for at least the next seven days. Johansson has been placed on injured reserve, while Stefan Noesen was activated today. It’s an upper-body injury for the Devils forward, suffered early last night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Johansson has certainly not had an easy ride since being acquired by the Devils in the summer of 2017. Dealing with multiple injuries last year, the versatile forward played in just 29 regular season games and was limited to just 14 points. That’s easily the lowest total of his career, a number he had already surpassed this season with 15 points in 31 games. Any more offensive contribution will have to wait, though it’s not clear yet for how long.

The Devils haven’t been able to recreate the magic that took them all the way to the playoffs last season, but still have plenty of time to turn things around. If they don’t, and continue to fall towards the bottom of the standings, you can bet some changes might be in order at the trade deadline. One of those changes could very well be Johansson, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the year finishes. The 28-year old does have a modified no-trade clause, but it only blocks trades five teams. His salary might be the bigger impediment, as a cap hit of $4.58MM is more than some will be able to take on even at the advanced date.

New Jersey could obviously decide to keep Johansson and try to re-sign him, but with more young players coming through the pipeline and a Taylor Hall extension coming quickly he might find himself on the outside looking in. This injury certainly doesn’t help his cause, especially if he’s out for more than a few games.

East Notes: Panthers, Zuccarello, Howden, Devils

November 8, 2018 at 6:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Panthers have gotten off to a slow start this season, posting a 3-5-3 record that has them last overall in the NHL. Accordingly, speculation has picked up about whether it’s time for them to shake things up. In an appearance on TSN 1260 (audio link), TSN’s Darren Dreger stated that he doesn’t expect GM Dale Tallon to make a significant move but instead may try to make a smaller one to see if that gets the team going:

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s pretty eager to try and shake the culture of this group a little bit. I don’t get the sense that there’s going to be anything significant, but if it continues to drag on where this team is still playing sluggishly, maybe then the general manager does step in in some way, shape or form.”

It’s at least worth noting that the Panthers have at least four games in hand on every team in the Atlantic Division so while they sit seven points out of a Wild Card spot heading into tonight’s action, they can work their way back into the mix fairly quickly. A healthy Roberto Luongo should help their fortunes but if they continue to scuffle, a small move could be on the horizon.

Elsewhere in the East:

The Rangers will be without winger Mats Zuccarello for at least the next two games due to a groin strain, notes Newsday’s Anthony Rieber. He will be re-evaluated by team doctors when they return from their road trip this weekend. New York will, however, have center Brett Howden back for their game on Friday though after he missed Tuesday’s victory over Montreal because of an upper-body injury.
New Jersey will have winger Jesper Bratt back in the lineup tomorrow against Toronto, reports Abbey Mastracco of the Bergen Record. He has missed the entire season due to a broken jaw. The 20-year-old surprised many by making the Devils last season but he wound up having a strong rookie year, tallying 35 points in 74 games. Meanwhile, winger Stefan Noesen and defenseman Steven Santini participated in practice but aren’t expected to be taken off IR. As the team has a full roster (Bratt will be activated into Eddie Lack’s soon-to-be-opened slot), some more movement is likely on the way.

New Jersey Places Noesen On Injured Reserve; Activates Stafford

November 3, 2018 at 4:27 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

The New Jersey Devils announced that they have placed forward Stefan Noesen on injured reserve, with an upper-body injury which he suffered in a game Tuesday against Tampa Bay. The team also announced that they have activated forward Drew Stafford to take Noesen’s place on the team’s 23-man roster.

Noesen was a key player in the team’s surprise run into the playoffs after he put up a career high in goals and assists, with 13 goals and 14 assists on the season. He played a great role, moving from line to line last year offering the team positive possession numbers. However, he hasn’t had as much success so far this year with just a goal and an assist, numbers that he put up in the first two games of the season. He has since posted zero points in his last seven appearances and was scratched on Thursday. The 25-year-old will miss at least two games and could be eligible to return on Tuesday at Ottawa.

Stafford is expected to be in today’s lineup, but has just appeared in two games for the Devils this season. The 33-year-old had eight goals and 15 points last season for New Jersey. He was out with an upper body injury and placed on injured reserve on Oct. 23. He has averaged just 9:06 in ATOI so far in the two games he’s played.

Blake Coleman, Stefan Noesen Re-Sign With New Jersey Devils

July 17, 2018 at 9:26 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Blake Coleman scored 13 goals and 25 points in his first full NHL season and has now been rewarded for his success. The New Jersey Devils have agreed to terms with Coleman on a three-year contract that will pay him $1.8MM annually. The deal comes ahead of Coleman’s scheduled July 22nd arbitration hearing, which will no longer be required. The team also announced they’ve come to terms with Stefan Noesen on a one-year deal worth $1.725MM ahead of his August 1st hearing.

Coleman, 26, broke out last year as an extremely effective checking option for the Devils who continuously engages physically, has the speed to create offense from turnovers and is an excellent option on the penalty kill. His 216 hits led New Jersey and put him ninth among all league forwards, and his 22 of his points came during the 12 minutes a night of even-strength ice time he received. The other three points—all of which were goals—came while on the penalty kill, putting him among the league leaders in short-handed scoring as well.

Selected in the third round in 2011 (his second year of eligibility), Coleman spent four years in the NCAA honing his skills before even signing his first professional contract. He’s only now showing off the skills he can bring to the Devils’ bottom six, and has been rewarded with some stability in a two-year deal. If he can keep scoring highlight reel goals and shutting down the opposing forwards he’ll have more than rewarded New Jersey for their $3.6MM commitment.

Lining up beside him for many of the defensive draws was Noesen, who also played a key defensive role for the Devils this year. Once a top prospect selected in the first round, Noesen was placed on waivers during the 2016-17 season and claimed by New Jersey. The 25-year old found some great success this past season with 27 points despite his tough role, and is being rewarded for it handsomely. He’ll still be a restricted free agent at the end of the contract, but is likely just happy he’s with an organization who gave him a full-time role.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Salary Cap Deep Dive: New Jersey Devils

September 2, 2017 at 8:55 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

New Jersey Devils

Current Cap Hit: $57,037,501 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Nico Hischier (Three years remaining, $925K)
D Will Butcher (Two years remaining, $925K)
D Michael Kapla (One year remaining, $925K)
F Pavel Zacha (Two years remaining, $894K)

Potential Bonuses

Hischier: $2.85MM
Butcher: $2.85MM
Zacha: $850K
Total: $6.55MM

It turned into a solid summer for the Devils as they won the draft lottery and used that first-overall pick to select Hischier, a talented Swiss center, who put up 38 goals and 86 points in 57 games for the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL. He is expected to break camp with the team and have an immediate impact. With recent injuries, Hischier could take over as the second-line center and start his career in a great position. The hope is he will help lead this team to the playoffs sooner rather than later.

Butcher has been a more recent signing sensation as the Devils also won the offseason bidding for the Hobey Baker Award winner after he became a free agent several weeks ago. Butcher picked the Devils with the hopes of getting immediate playing time, since no one is truly sure if he is an NHL impact player. The 22-year-old blueliner put up outstanding numbers as a junior and senior at the University of Denver, but chose not to sign with the team that drafted him, the Colorado Avalanche. With the Devils biggest weakness being their defense, the team is thrilled to bring him on board.

Zacha, the sixth overall pick in the 2015 draft, finished his first full season in New Jersey, playing in 70 games, while putting up eight goals and 16 assists for the year. While those numbers look disappointing, he didn’t play a lot of minutes last year (14:18) and didn’t play with much talent next to him, although he looked good playing alongside Taylor Hall at points during the season. He should take that next step this year. Kapla, like Butcher arrives to join the team’s defense from college. He played four years for the University of Massachusetts – Lowell and signed a two year deal immediately after ending his senior year. That first year consisted of five games. Already on year two of his deal, Kapla must prove he is an NHL defenseman this year.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Ryane Clowe ($4.85MM, UFA)
D John Moore ($1.67MM, UFA)
D Dalton Prout ($1.575MM, UFA)
F Drew Stafford ($800K, UFA)
F Stefan Noesen ($660K, RFA)

The group is not filled with impact players, so the Devils have little to worry about in the short term. They will likely rejoice once’s Clowe’s contract comes off the books. The veteran signed a five-year deal back in 2013 and only played two years, before being forced to retire due to concussion issues. Moore is an offensive defenseman (22 points in 63 games last year), but is totally inept on the defensive end. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the team went in a different direction on defense next year.

Prout, who the team picked up at the trade deadline for veteran Kyle Quincey, only played 14 games for the Devils and it might take all season to determine whether or not he has value. Stafford, who just signed recently to a one-year deal, could easily be a bargaining chip at the trade deadline. After putting up 21 goals two seasons ago while with the Winnipeg Jets, his value dropped as he scored just eight goals between the Jets and the Boston Bruins last season. The Devils, however, are counting on a bounce-back season, which could eventually net them some more young talent. Noesen, who signed a one-year, two-way contract will try to make the roster this year after scoring six goals in 32 games for New Jersey last season.

Two Years Remaining

F Marcus Johansson ($4.58MM, UFA)
F Adam Henrique ($4MM, UFA)
F Brian Boyle ($2.75MM, UFA)
D Ben Lovejoy ($2.67MM, UFA)
G Keith Kinkaid ($1.25MM, UFA)

The team picked up some much-needed scoring in Johansson from the division rival Capitals for a second and a third round pick, but the 26-year-old winger scored 24 goals last year, albeit on a offensive juggernaut. The former first-round pick in 2009 has averaged 20 goals in the past three seasons and he should get even more ice time in New Jersey than he saw in Washington. The team has two years to see whether the forward is worth holding onto as a future piece or as future trade bait.

The Devils have a much better knowledge on what Henrique can do. The 27-year-old center has had a 30-goal season (in the 2015-16 season) and has put up nice scoring numbers, but assists have been few, especially for a center. He had a down year last year, putting up 20 goals, but only had 20 assists to go with that. For a top-six center, those numbers are a little disappointing. The Devils still have two more years to see if he can develop, otherwise it’s more likely the two teams could part ways.

As for Boyle, the Devils brought the 32-year-old in on a two-year deal to provide veteran leadership and a person who can center one of the bottom two lines and the team was praised for that signing. Lovejoy provides the team with a strong defensive presence, but like most of the defense, he is very one-sided. He is great on defense, but can’t produce much on offense, finishing last year with seven points in 82 games. At 33, this is likely his last contract with the Devils. Kinkaid returns as a quality backup to Schneider and should provide good value for the next two years.

Three Years Remaining

F Taylor Hall ($6MM, UFA)
D Andy Greene ($5MM, UFA)

Two players heading in opposite directions of their career, but both are valuable to the franchise. Hall, despite coming off a down year (almost all Devils had down years), has two 25-goal seasons to his resume and still had 20 goals last year. The 25-year-old wing is one of the team’s top scorers and many believe that the team’s success will ride on his play. With three years left on his deal, the Devils again have time to decide whether he is worth a big payday down the road. Greene, a 34-year-old aging defenseman, is also a defensive-first player and has always been. As the team focuses its future attention on their defense, Greene playing time may drop over the next few years.

Four Or More Years Remaining

G Cory Schneider ($6MM through 2021-22)
F Travis Zajac ($5.75MM through 2020-21)
F Kyle Palmieri ($4.65MM through 2020-21)

Schneider is locked up for the longest on this team and until last year, that deal looked like a great one. The 31-year-old goaltender has been golden throughout most of his career, but the team’s poor defensive play finally got to Schneider, who struggled in his 60 games played. His 2.82 GAA and .908 save percentages were career lows and the team believes he will bounce back even though the team has done very little to improve their defense this offseason.

To make matters worse, the team also lost Zajac to injury this offseason. The veteran center will be out for four to six months after he had surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle, which he sustained during offseason training. While he may be back late in the season, the injury will force others like Henrique to step up and take a larger role this season. Zajac, who has spent his entire career in New Jersey, had 14 goals and 31 assists last year. But the fact that he’ll be 36 when is contract ends, this contract is likely to be one they want to get out of at some point in the future.

Palmieri, like Hall, is the present day future of the Devils. The 26-year-old wing has scored 56 goals in the past two seasons and has been one of their most dominant players. At $4.65MM, that’s pretty good value for the forward.

Buyouts

F Mike Cammalleri ($1.67MM through 2020-21)
F Devante Smith-Pelly ($175K in 2017-18, $225K in 2018-19)
F Ilya Kovalchuk (not a buyout, but a recapture penalty will cost the team $250K through 2024-25 after retiring three years into a 15-year, $100MM deal)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

D Damon Severson

Best Value: Palmieri
Worst Value: Clowe

Looking Ahead

The Devils look to be in a better situation after a solid offseason. Striking the lottery and getting Hischier is a huge stroke of luck, one the organization needs after several years of struggles. The team’s defense also got a boost recently when they signed Butcher from the college ranks. Both prospects should provide long-term value, and the team is not clogged up with too many expensive contracts. Most general managers would be happy to pay Schneider just $6MM over the next five years. What the team needs to do is continue to improve and develop their prospects. Players like Pamieri, Hall, Henrique and Severson must continue to improve and take their games up a notch this season. But with a low cap number and some young prospects on the horizon, the Devils should continue to improve over the next few years.

New Jersey Devils Sign Five Restricted Free Agents

July 26, 2017 at 10:30 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The New Jersey Devils have signed another pair of restricted free agents, inking Stefan Noesen, Blake Coleman, Blake Pietila, Kevin Rooney and Ben Thomson. The details are as follows:

Noesen: One-year, two-way contract worth $660K
Coleman: One-year, two-way contract worth $660K
Pietila: Two-year, two-way contract worth $1.335MM (total)
Rooney: One-year, two-way contract worth $650K
Thomson: One-year, two-way contract worth $650K

The Devils came into the offseason with a huge group of RFAs, one that has been whittled down in the past few days after the team signed a trio yesterday to go with these five. They now have just Damon Severson left to sign, who came into the summer as perhaps the most important player on the team to get under contract.

Noesen is undoubtedly the most interesting name in this group, after spending the latter half of the season with the Devils this year. Claimed off waivers from the Ducks in January, Noesen is a first-round pick who has had trouble developing much offensive performance since joining the professional ranks. Still, he’s only 24 and fit in admirably in the Devils’ bottom-six where he recorded eight points in 32 games. Though he isn’t what you would call dynamic with the puck, he did generate quite a number of shot chances in his New Jersey stint, and could legitimately find a home in the NHL next season.

The other four all seem like minor league depth at this point in their careers, though each played at least a few games in the NHL last season. Coleman led the bunch with 23, and though he does have some offensive upside seems destined to be a 13th forward at best going forward. That’s not to say they can’t play big roles in the organization, as they’ll help the new Binghamton Devils AHL team try to duplicate the recent success of the last affiliate in Albany. That team has made it to the AHL playoffs in three of the past four years, and should be formidable again this season.

Minor Transactions: 1/25/2017

January 25, 2017 at 2:00 pm CDT | by Glen Miller Leave a Comment

PHR will recap the day’s minor roster transactions in this post. Please check back throughout the day for updates.

With Stefan Noesen now a member of the New Jersey Devils after being claimed on waivers, Anaheim Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle indicated to The Orange County Register’s Eric Stephens that the team will recall forward Kalle Kossila from San Diego of the AHL. Kossila was inked by Anaheim as an undrafted free agent after completing his senior season with St. Cloud State University. The 23-year-old Finn, who has yet to appear in an NHL regular season contest, has registered nine goals and 27 points in 33 AHL games this season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed defenseman Steve Oleksy on waivers, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. The 30-year-old blue liner has seen action in nine games this season with Pittsburgh, tallying a single assist. In 71 career NHL games, Oleksy has recorded three goals and 20 points. Counting Oleksy, the Penguins have seven healthy defenders on the roster. Waiving the four-year veteran could be an indication that Kris Letang, on IR since January 16th, could be nearing a return.
To make room on the roster for Noesen, the Devils have placed forward Beau Bennett on IR retroactive to January 20th, reports Andrew Gross of The Record. Bennett, in his first season with New Jersey after an offseason trade with Pittsburgh, has scored three goals and 10 points in 40 contests.
Winger Casey Bailey has been reassigned by the Ottawa Senators to Binghamton of the AHL, via the team’s official communications department Twitter account. Bailey has played in five contests this season, going scoreless while averaging just 7:13 of ice time per game. He has 10 goals and 15 points in 33 AHL games with the Baby Sens.
According to the AHL Manitoba Moose’s official Twitter account (H/T to Patrick Williams of NHL.com), defenseman Brian Strait has been recalled by the Winnipeg Jets. Strait has not yet seen NHL action this season but has appeared in 182 regular season games with the Jets and Pittsburgh over parts of six seasons.
Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area reports that the San Jose Sharks have reassigned Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc to the AHL. The scribe refers to the moves as a “paper transaction,” in that the team will bank a bit of cap space with the pair of forwards off the roster and inferring they will be recalled ahead of San Jose’s next game tomorrow night at home against Edmonton.

Devils Claim Stefan Noesen On Waivers

January 25, 2017 at 11:19 am CDT | by Brett Barrett Leave a Comment

The New Jersey Devils continue to be active on the waiver wire this season.

The Devils claimed Ducks prospect Stefan Noesen off waivers this morning, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Noesen was placed on waivers for the second time this season yesterday. He has just two points in 12 games (both goals) for the Ducks this season; he’s also played 22 games for the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, where he has 15 points. Overall he has 63 points in 116 games at the AHL level. Noesen has been shuffled back and forth between the NHL and AHL to preserve salary space, but finally cracked 10 NHL games, meaning he needed to clear waivers again.

Noesen was a highly-touted prospect as a junior player. He had 100 goals and 220 points in 215 games with the now-defunct Plymouth Whalers of the OHL. He was a first round pick of the Ottawa Senators back in 2011 but was traded before ever playing a game in the Senators organization. Noesen was traded alongside Jakob Silfverberg and a first round pick to the Ducks for Bobby Ryan back in July 2013.

Ducks Place Stefan Noesen On Waivers

January 24, 2017 at 11:20 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Anaheim Ducks have placed right winger Stefan Noesen on waivers, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link).

Noesen has played in a dozen games with the Ducks this season (including last night against Winnipeg) and has two goals in that time while averaging 6:33 of ice time as a fourth line player for head coach Randy Carlyle.

The 23 year old was originally a first round pick of the Senators back in 2011 (21st overall). He was dealt to Anaheim as part of the Bobby Ryan traded back in July of 2013. He has played a total of 14 career NHL games, all with the Ducks. He also has played in 22 AHL games this season having cleared waivers at the beginning of the season, recording 15 points (6-9-15).

Noesen had been shuffled back and forth on a near-daily basis over the last couple of weeks. Not only was that done in an effort to conserve as much cap space as possible, it also allowed them to delay waiving him until now as he has surpassed the ten games mark since clearing waivers back in October.

Minor Transactions: 1/19/17

January 19, 2017 at 1:30 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Here is where we’ll keep tabs on today’s minor roster moves:

Minnesota announced that they have recalled defenseman Mike Reilly from Iowa of the AHL. He has spent the bulk of the year in the minors and has four goals and 11 assists in 29 AHL contests. Reilly also has played in nine games with the Wild, being held off the scoresheet while averaging 12:57 of ice time per night.
Carolina has swapped backup goalies, announcing that they have recalled Michael Leighton while assigning Alex Nedeljkovic back to their AHL affiliate in Charlotte. The two swapped places earlier this week, allowing Leighton to get into a couple of minor league games to stay in game shape. Eddie Lack, the regular backup for the Hurricanes, remains out of the lineup indefinitely due to a concussion.
Buffalo announced that they have summoned goalie Linus Ullmark from Rochester (AHL). Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News reports (Twitter link) that Anders Nilsson is dealing with the flu so Ullmark will take his place in the interim. This is the fourth recall for Ullmark this year but he has yet to see action with the Sabres this year. He has a 15-13-1 record in the minors this year with a 3.03 GAA and a .908 SV%.
Ottawa has recalled right winger Casey Bailey from AHL Binghamton per their Twitter page. The Sens are currently dealing with a flu bug, notes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. Bailey has played in four games for the Senators this season being held off the scoresheet but sits tied for second in goals in Binghamton with 10 in 33 minor league outings.
The Canucks swapped out depth defenders, announcing that they’ve recalled Jordan Subban while sending Andrey Pedan back to Utica (AHL). Subban leads all Comets blueliners with 22 points this season and has not yet played in the NHL. As for Pedan, he had been up for the better part of a month but did not suit up in Vancouver and was close to needing waivers to be sent back down having been up for 29 days.
In what is becoming a daily shuffle, Anaheim announced the recall of winger Stefan Noesen from San Diego of the AHL. It’s the fourth straight day that he has either been recalled or demoted as the Ducks look to conserve as much cap space as possible. Noesen has a goal in nine NHL games with Anaheim this season while adding 15 points in 22 minor league contests.

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