Stefan Noesen Can Be Even Better With New Jersey Devils
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils just re-signed Stefan Noesen to a one year deal to stick with the team. He’s a perfect example of how a change of scenery makes a dwindling player better.
New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero announced Wednesday that forward Stefan Noesen re-signed to a one-year, two-way deal worth $660,000 at the NHL level (would be cool if they added another $6,000). This came with a flurry of other restricted free agents that signed, but this was the most significant.
Noesen came to the Devils last season after the team claimed him off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks. After he was drafted 21st overall in the 2011 NHL Draft, Noesen had trouble making it on an NHL roster. He was part of the major Bobby Ryan trade, sending him away from the Ottawa Senators. He obviously wasn’t the main piece, but the Ducks hoped they could use him as an extra piece.
Unfortunately, Noesen had major trouble staying at the NHL level. He had a taste of NHL games in 2014 and 2015, but when given his chance last season with the Ducks, he couldn’t stay on the roster.
That’s when the Devils came in and basically took him for nothing. He made an impact immediately once arriving in New Jersey. He scored a goal in his first two games, showing immediately why Shero wanted to bring him here.
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It’s interesting that Noesen signed a two-way deal after playing so much better in New Jersey. After netting just five to seven minutes of ice time in Anaheim, he immediately doubled that after he was claimed. He played under 10 minutes once in 32 games with the Devils.
Noesen wasn’t shooting as much as he could last season, but still showed he could score. While only lighting the lamp eight times total on the season, his 12.6 shooting percentage showed he made his shots count. He could probably increase his goal total just by taking more shots when given the chance.
Noesen has two 30+ goal seasons while playing in Juniors. That’s the skill that made him a first-round pick in the first place. Who knows why he couldn’t put it together in Anaheim. Maybe the pressure of being a part of a major trade got to him, or the ice time wasn’t enough. Either way, the Devils are reaping the benefits.
Hopefully, this one-year deal works as a “show-me” contract for Noesen. If he continues to grow as a player, the Devils still hold his rights as a restricted free agent, meaning they could work on a long-term deal next season. If he can get into double digit goals and increase his assist numbers, he could be a nice scoring threat on the bottom six. At 24 years old, Noesen still has some time left to live up to his first-round pick designation.