Sharks re-sign Stefan Noesen

After a cryptic Tweet sent yesterday afternoon, Stefan Noesen announced that he has re-signed for one more year with the San Jose Sharks. The 27-year-old winger got a small pay raise in his new $925,000 deal.

San Jose, can you say Hakuna Matata!!! We back!! 🦈🦈 pic.twitter.com/Jq3d2rrjob

— Stefan Noesen (@stefannoesen) October 9, 2020

Drafted 21st overall in the 2011 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators, Noesen has bounced around the league, only really getting a decent look at the NHL level with the New Jersey Devils from 2016-2019. At the end of the 2019 season, he signed an AHL contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, eventually earning a one-year, two-way NHL contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He only played six games with the Penguins before getting put on waivers and being claimed by the Sharks.

“Stefan came in here last season and made a pretty seamless transition both on and off the ice,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement. “He plays the game with a high tempo and energy and isn’t afraid to stick up for his teammates. We think he fits well with how we want our team to play and are happy he is returning to San Jose.”

In 34 games with the Sharks, Noesen scored 6 goals and 2 assists, which isn’t inspiring. Save for one goal, they were all at 5-on-5, though he only played roughly 23 minutes on the power play while the Sharks dealt with injuries at forward. He had a mostly positive effect at 5-on-5. He only shot at 9 percent last season — meaning it’s possible with some consistency in San Jose we see some growth.

Not for nothing, Noesen’s 64 hits were eighth-best on the team and he only played in half of the games. He’s a physical fourth-line player who has shown a positive impact at 5-on-5.

Assuming he won’t have to play on the power play again this season, Noesen had a good season with the Sharks and legitimately earned a show-me contract. At less than $1 million, that’s a great value add for the Sharks.