The New Jersey Devils are the top team in the Metropolitan Division. They have a 4-1-0 record, including a two-game sweep of the Buffalo Sabres to open the 2024-25 regular season in Czechia as part of the NHL Global Series.
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At first glance, most fans would expect that a team that employs Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt would have one of those highly skilled forwards leading the team in scoring.
Instead, the Devils’ best player through five games is former Pittsburgh Penguins skater Stefan Noesen, with two goals and six points.
Initially drafted by the Ottawa Senators in 2011, he began his career in Anaheim before moving to New Jersey, and then he had a quick six-game stint with the Penguins in 2019-20. Noesen scored a single goal before being played on waivers.
He played with San Jose, Toronto, and, most recently, Carolina before returning to Newark for a second tour with the Devils this past offseason.
In 2024-25, Noesen began the campaign with a goal in his first game before collecting a helper in the second game in Prague. Back in North America, he went pointless in the home opener before picking up three assists against Washington on Saturday. On Monday, he had a goal in the Devils’ 3-0 win over Utah Hockey Club.
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