A move that many thought was going to happen prior to the 2026-27 season beginning is happening, with Stefan Noesen hitting the waiver wire Thursday afternoon.
The 33-year-old power winger played in both of the Devils' first two games of the campaign, logging zero points in his roughly 15 total minutes of ice time. Last season, Noesen took part in 38 games before going down with injury for the rest of the season.
If Noesen clears waivers, the Devils can bury $1.225 of his $2.75 million salary in the minors, giving them a bit more salary-cap flexibility than they have now. In that case, the Devils can also bring back Johnathan Kovacevic from Injured Reserve (IR) without giving the recently-not-seriously-injured Jonas Siegenthaler the same designation.
Stefan Noesen was sent to waivers to likely make room for a returning Johnny Kovacevic
That would give the Devils the projected 13-forward, seven-defenseman, three-goalie roster that most had penciled in before opening night.
The thing is, Noesen probably should get claimed. It's not like he's some nobody with very little experience in the big leagues -- this is a player with nearly 500 games and 175 points of NHL familiarity. Just two seasons ago, he proved that in the right circumstances, he can put up a half-point-per-game season. He has dealt with a serious knee injury since, but his 22 goals in 2024-25 largely came via his penchant for being a hard-to-play-against player in front of the net -- his knees won't prevent him from having that role, even if his general foot speed and acceleration are lacking comparatively.
A team in need of NHL-caliber talent, especially one that needs a netfront power play specialist, would be wise to take a flier on Noesen -- teams like the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks come to mind there.
Either way, New Jersey appears to be opening up a spot for a returning defenseman with this move, and they'll be saving at least $1.225 million against the cap in the process. If he gets claimed, the Devils are free of his entire $2.75 million cap hit, which could open the door for future moves.
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