Stefan Noesen’s path back into the New Jersey Devils’ lineup for 2026-27 comes with a pretty simple question attached: was last season the outlier, or the beginning of the slide?
The Devils winger is coming off a brutal 2025-26 campaign, one that looked nothing like the year he had just put together in New Jersey. After returning to the Devils following five seasons elsewhere, Noesen had given the club exactly the kind of secondary scoring punch it wanted in 2024-25.
He came off two productive years with the Carolina Hurricanes, where he posted 36 and 37 points and scored 13 and 14 goals. Back in New Jersey, he went even further, setting a career high with 22 goals and finishing with 41 points.
Half of those goals came on the power play, but the larger point was clear: he had found a useful role and was helping the Devils’ stars.
That made the drop-off last season even sharper. Noesen’s shooting percentage cratered, his power-play work disappeared, and he lost time on the first unit.
The early months were also interrupted by injuries, with Noesen missing training camp, the preseason and the start of the regular season. Another injury then ended his year in early January after 38 games.
When it was over, he had just three goals and seven points.
Now the Devils are heading toward 2026-27 with Noesen supposedly fully healthy for the first time in a long stretch. He did play those 38 games last season while battling the issues that ultimately shut him down, so there’s at least a chance he can shake off the rust and work his way back into the middle of the lineup. That would depend on how Sheldon Keefe wants to use him, but the opening is there if Noesen looks more like the player from two seasons ago.
The problem is that the path is tighter than it used to be. The Devils have more wing talent now, helped along by the Jacob Markstrom trade and the signing of Anthony Mantha. That creates real competition, and it could leave Noesen on the outside looking in as a healthy scratch if he can’t get back to form.
His name had also been mentioned as a possible trade piece if New Jersey wanted to clear more cap space for other summer moves. That doesn’t appear to be the direction things are heading, so unless something changes before camp opens, Noesen should be in the mix and fighting for a spot.
If the injuries are finally behind him, Noesen could still turn into a useful surprise for the Devils. He’s not part of the long-term picture, but that doesn’t mean he can’t matter now. A return to the mid-30s or low-40s in points would take some pressure off the rest of the roster and help a team that struggled to score last season.
Still, the risk is obvious. Noesen is 33 and will turn 34 during the season, which puts him in the range where decline becomes a very real concern.
If he repeats last year’s production, the Devils won’t be obligated to keep him beyond the final year of his deal. And if he’s not producing while others around him are also quiet, New Jersey could wind up with a hole in the lineup.
For a team trying to be better than it was a year ago, that’s not a small issue.
Noesen has already shown he can produce in Sheldon Keefe’s system. The real issue now is whether injuries and age have taken too much out of him, or whether a healthy offseason sets him up for one more bounce back. With training camp and the preseason approaching, the Devils may not have to wait long to find out.
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