The New Jersey Devils are getting a major scoring boost to their middle-six forward group tonight. According to a team announcement, the team has activated and reassigned defenseman Seamus Casey, placed forward Juho Lammikko on the injured reserve, and activated forward Stefan Noesen from the injured reserve.
Noesen had been recovering from an offseason groin injury, one that required a small procedure. Although he didn’t play in the Devils’ win last night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, there was growing optimism that Noesen would return relatively soon since he practiced with the team on Monday.
New Jersey may not trust him for second-line duties out of the gate, though his natural fit is on the right wing next to Nico Hischier. Last year, his first with the Devils since the 2018-19 campaign, Noesen had a career year, scoring 22 goals and 41 points in 78 games. Considering the team suffered multiple injuries last year, Noesen offered valuable secondary scoring for a relatively low cost.
The Devils will likely ease Noesen into the lineup, starting him on the fourth line instead of the recently recalled Brian Halonen. Assuming his transition back to the roster goes well, Noesen will be back on the second line, replacing Dawson Mercer, in no time.
The other two transactions are relatively inconsequential. Casey began the year on the Devils season-opening injured reserve due to a lower-body injury, but had no place on the roster upon his return, given New Jersey already has seven capable defensemen. He’ll start his season with the AHL’s Utica Comets, where he scored three goals and 18 points in 30 games last year.
Meanwhile, Lammikko lands on the IR without having played a game with the Devils this season. The Noormarkku, Finland native joined the Devils from the NL’s ZSC Lions this summer after scoring 48 goals and 112 points in 144 games over three years with the Lions.