Devils Activate Connor Brown; Reassign Stefan Noesen

The New Jersey Devils are swapping out middle-six wingers. According to a team announcement, the Devils activated Connor Brown from the injured reserve. In a corresponding roster move, New Jersey assigned Stefan Noesen to the AHL’s Utica Comets.

Brown, 32, is in the second season of a four-year, $12MM ($3MM AAV) contract signed with the Devils ahead of the 2025-26 season. For the upteenth year in a row, the Devils couldn’t avoid significant injuries, but Brown offered some of the depth scoring they have been looking for. The 11-year veteran finished the season with 18 goals and 43 points in 75 games with a -1 rating, averaging 17:33 of ice time.

If everything goes well on the injury front, Brown shouldn’t expect to see that kind of ice time this season. Brown began the 2026-27 season on the injured reserve after suffering a lower-body injury in preseason. Retroactively placed on the injured reserve on September 28th, the former sixth-round pick has already missed New Jersey’s first eight contests of the season.

Meanwhile, the Devils sent Noesen back the other way. Despite being on a one-way contract, Noesen cleared waivers on October 9th, meaning he still has a ways to go before he’ll be waiver-eligible again. Regardless, it appears he got the message from his demotion.

Since returning to New Jersey on October 12th, Noesen has played fairly well, scoring one goal and three points in three games with a +2 rating, averaging approximately 12 minutes of ice time per game. During his first reassignment, the 13-year veteran went scoreless in his only game with the Comets.