New Jersey Devils: Stefan Noesen Bets On Himself With New Contract
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils announced that forward Stefan Noesen signed a one-year deal to avoid arbitration. This shows he’s ready to bet on himself and earn an even bigger deal next year.
The New Jersey Devils avoided arbitration with its two forwards eligible. However, the two deals look very different.
The Devils rewarded Blake Coleman with a three-year deal worth $1.8 million per season. Meanwhile, Stefan Noesen was only given a one-year deal worth $1.7 million. There’s a very good reason for that.
Coleman was drafted by the Devils back in 2011. They’ve been with him throughout this journey to the NHL. They’ve waited along with Coleman while he spent seven years fighting to get to the NHL. The Devils have invested time into their forward, and now it’s finally paying off.
On the other hand, Noesen was a failed first-round pick with the Ottawa Senators. He was added as a piece of the Bobby Ryan deal that sent him to the Anaheim Ducks. Noesen’s career did not turn around as hoped, and he was placed on waivers in 2017. Since the Devils claimed him, he finally found his stride.
These are all factors as to why Coleman gets three years, but Noesen gets one. However, the biggest reason is status.
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Coleman was set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. That means the Devils were buying two unrestricted years in their deal with Coleman. Noesen, on the other hand, is still a restricted free agent after this season. That means the Devils keep control of their 25-year-old forward.
Noesen’s willingness to prove himself once again shows he’s ready to bet on himself. It’s clear he’s hoping he could find the ceiling that had him scoring 38 goals in the OHL. Obviously, he’s never going to score like that in the NHL, but he can clearly make goals happen.
Noesen is a crucial part of the Devils future. If he’s able to continue to play like he did this past season, then he’ll get a longer-term deal next season. The Devils are asking Noesen to prove one more time that this past season wasn’t a fluke. He was chosen in the first round for a reason. He has an awesome skill set. If he can put it all together, he could be one of the best bottom six forwards in the league.