Devils put Connor Brown on IR, recall Stefan Noesen
TLDR: The Devils put Connor Brown on injured reserve retroactive to September 28 and called Stefan Noesen back up from Utica, and with Luke Evangelista missing morning skate, Noesen could play tonight vs. Ottawa.
On paper it's a paperwork move. Backdating the IR is the whole point, and the beat explained why before the Devils even got off the ice.
Connor Brown can be taken off IR at anytime, this gives #NJDevils an extra forward for the back-to-back coming up. Brown has been skating on his own, as HC Keefe has mentioned.
So Brown isn't stuck on the shelf. Because the IR stint goes back to September 28, the minimum time is basically already served, and New Jersey can activate him whenever he's ready. The lower-body injury has kept him out since before the season started, but he's been skating, and that's why the Devils went with IR and not something longer. They get a free roster spot for the back-to-back and Brown comes back the moment Keefe says go. Brown is 32 and has 3 years left at $3 million a year, so they aren't going to rush him back for a random game in October.
The guy who gets the spot is a familiar face. Noesen was sent to Utica just days ago, his first trip through waivers since his San Jose days in 2020-21. He'd played 2 games, averaged 7:24 a night and hadn't scored. That's a rough start for a guy who put up 22 goals and 41 points in 78 games last season and is in the middle of a 3-year, $8.25 million deal. Getting sent down hurt. A call-up a few days later is a decent way to answer it.
And Noesen might not just be the 13th forward. When morning skate started, one regular wasn't out there.
Luke Evangelista is not on the ice for #NJDevils morning skate. Will check in with Sheldon Keefe after skate on his status.
Evangelista is one of the Devils' few early-season bright spots, with 2 goals already. If he can't go, losing him hurts a lot more than missing Brown. Nobody has said what's wrong with him yet, and we'll know more once Keefe talks after skate. For now, the lines tell you who the backup plan is.
A look at morning skate for #NJDevils Evangelista isn’t out there today, so Noesen is taking his place for the moment. Kovacevic is skating again with the main group. We’ll wait and see which goalie is off first, but based on practice routine, I’d say Daws start vs. OTT.
Noesen skated in Evangelista's spot, Kovacevic was back skating with the main group, and from how practice went, Daws looks like the starter in goal vs. the Senators. Morning-skate lines aren't a promise, and 'for the moment' is doing a lot of work in that post. Still, the Devils clearly have a plan if Evangelista sits.
Things to watch: Keefe's update on Evangelista, whether Noesen draws in tonight, and when Brown comes off IR. Brown could be back for one of the back-to-back games or soon after. The early-season fill-ins have been carrying a bottom six that's missing pieces, and that only works for so long. Noesen gets another shot. If he does something with it, Keefe's lineup choices get a lot more interesting once Brown is healthy.
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