The Devils made a pair of roster moves this morning, bringing Stefan Noesen back up from the Utica Comets and placing Connor Brown on injured reserve.
Brown’s move to IR stems from an injury that dates back to Sept. 28, though he’s not necessarily stuck there for long. According to Devils reporter Amanda Stein, he has been skating and can be activated at any time.
Noesen’s recall, meanwhile, comes with the usual waiver-watch attached: if he gets into 10 games or spends more than 30 games on the NHL roster, he would need to clear waivers again. Anything below those thresholds keeps his availability tied up for the rest of the league.
The timing is notable because Noesen was sent down four days ago, his first waiver placement since his time with the San Jose Sharks in the 2020-21 season. In two games with New Jersey this season, he has not scored and has averaged 7:24 of ice time per game.
That brief stint followed a rough 2025-26 campaign, one that was derailed by injury and turned into one of the toughest seasons of his 13-year career. Noesen finished with three goals and seven points in 38 games, along with a -7 rating and 11:45 of ice time per night. With Brown now sidelined after tweaking something in practice before the regular season, Noesen has another opening to make an impression.
It’s a chance for the 33-year-old to build on what he showed after signing with the Devils in 2024 on a three-year, $8.25MM deal with an annual cap hit of $2.75MM. His first season back in New Jersey was strong: 22 goals, 41 points, and the fourth-most goals on the team in 78 games, even with a -8 rating. For a Devils club that has spent the last few years looking for secondary scoring, Noesen also brought the kind of physical edge that fit the role.
For now, though, he sits as the 13th forward on the depth chart while Brown recovers. If the Devils need a veteran option, they can still slide him onto the fourth line.
Brown, 32, has quickly become an important piece for this group. In his first season in Newark, he put up 18 goals and 43 points in 75 games and handled power-play and penalty-kill work, too.
Signed for three more years at $3MM, he’s dealt with this sort of interruption before. Last season he missed time with an upper-body injury and spent a spell on IR before returning, and the Devils should be able to work him back into the lineup again soon.