Devils Place Anthony Mantha On LTIR, Recall Two

The New Jersey Devils have made a series of roster moves ahead of Thursday’s matchup with the Washington Capitals. Winger Anthony Mantha has been moved from injured reserve to long-term injured reserve as he continues to recover from a throat injury. The move will be retroactive to November 7th, meaning Mantha will need to miss at least 26 more days. With an extended absence ahead, New Jersey has recalled forwards Lenni Hameenaho and Stefan Noesen from the AHL’s Utica Comets. To make room for the pair of call-ups, the Devils also loaned Riley Tufte back to the minors.

Mantha’s move to LTIR will ice what seemed to be a growing role in New Jersey’s offense. He scored five points in his last four games before going down with injury, including an assist in the game he was hurt. That scoring brought his year-long totals up to 10 points, split evenly, in 17 games. Mantha managed that production despite averaging 13:28 in ice time, offering New Jersey invaluable scoring down the lineup.

The Devils broke up their third-line – consisting of Mantha, Evan Rodrigues, and Jesper Boqvist – following Mantha’s injury. They have been left with varying performances from their depth forwards, though Mantha’s absence did open up room for Arseny Gritsyuk to join Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes on New Jersey’s top-line. Gristyuk has seemingly locked in that role with 14 points in 19 games on the year.

New Jersey’s pair of call-ups will help fill-out the team’s fourth-line. Noesen could be the favorite to step in right away, after appearing in five games with the Devils earlier this season. He scored a productive three points, then notched six more points in seven AHL appearances. More than that, Noesen could add a chippy presence to the Devils’ lineup, boasting 14 hits this season and reaching 152 hits in 78 games during the 2024-25 season, his first in New Jersey.

Despite those productive marks, Noesen will still face pressure from Hameenaho. The 22 year old has yet to appear in the NHL this season but leads Utica in scoring with six goals and nine points in 11 games. Hameenaho notched eight points in 33 games during his rookie season in the NHL last year. It was just his first season in North American pros, though he played three years in Finland’s top pro league beginning at the age of 18. The Devils will face strong offenses over their next stretch – with two games against the Capitals and one against the Montreal Canadiens coming up. That could inspire head coach Sheldon Keefe to test out the young Hameenaho, while Noesen offers reliable depth behind him.

Tufte, meanwhile, will return to the only place he’s played so far this season. He has two points and 16 penalty minutes in nine games with Utica so far. He recorded 56 points and 71 penalty minutes in 64 games with the Providence Bruins – and one goal in four games with Boston – last year.