The New Jersey Devils will have to wait a little while longer to see winger Stefan Noesen in action. Head coach Sheldon Keefe relayed that Noesen is continuing to progress in his return from a groin injury, but will need the entire preseason before he’s back to full health, to James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now. Noesen first sustained the injury last season, then re-aggravated it over the summer. That forced the 32-year-old to receive surgery, which he appears to still be recovering from.
The Devils will be adding a high-impact player back to the fold when Noesen returns to full health. He scored a career-high 22 goals and 41 points in 78 games last season, while rotating between New Jersey’s second and third lines. He was an important glue piece all year long, though played through this groin injury for much of the year. He’s paying for that with a delayed start to the season this year. In the meantime, New Jersey has elevated Dawson Mercer to Noesen’s vacant role next to Timo Meier and Nico Hischier at training camp.
Other notes from around the league:
- Pittsburgh Penguins depth forward Joona Koppanen will be out of action for the short-term. He has been designated as out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports. Koopanen played more NHL games last season than in any prior year – appearing in 11 games and scoring one goal with the Penguins. The rest of his year was spent in a hardy role with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he scored 23 points in 56 games. He doesn’t appear to be headed for an NHL role out of camp, but will be looking to vindicate his spot on the call-up sheet when he comes back from injury.
- Little-known names break into the Los Angeles Kings roster seemingly every year. This season, it could be forward Jeff Malott who earns the honor this season, per Austin Stanovich of Mayor’s Manor. Malott was a core piece of the AHL’s Ontario Reign last season. He finished the year third on the team in scoring, with 51 points in 61 games. He also led the team with 80 penalty minutes. That mix of high-motor offense, and imposing physicality, could be a sneaky addition to a Kings lineup that elevated the feisty Alex Laferriere to a 42-point season last year.
- Former New Jersey Devils centerman John Quenneville has opted to pursue a coaching season this year. He has joined the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL)’s Binghamton Black Bears, per a team release. Quenneville spent the last four seasons on tours around European pro leagues. He spent two seasons in the Switzerland National League, one season in Sweden’s SHL, and one season in Finland’s Liiga. He averaged about 0.5 points-per-game in every league. Should this turn to coaching mark the end of his career, Quenneville will move on from playing with five points in 42 NHL games and 158 points in 215 AHL games.