Nosek signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the New Jersey Devils on July 19.
NEWARK, N.J. -- After the New Jersey Devils' Oct. 15 practice, head coach Lindy Ruff spoke to team reporter Catherine Bogart, revealing that Tomas Nosek's absence was due to a lower-body injury and the versatile forward is considered day-to-day.
"Yeah, he's dealing a little bit of a lower-body injury, so he'll be day-to-day," Ruff said.
Nosek has averaged a little under 12 minutes of ice time in two games. He has one shot, one giveaway, three takeaways, and one hit. He has played on the team's fourth line alongside center Michael McLeod and skated in his 400th career NHL game on Friday when the Devils hosted the Arizona Coyotes at Prudential Center.
One area where Nosek has been heavily relied upon is the penalty kill. After two games, he leads all forwards, averaging 2:57. It's not a surprise, considering he was a top penalty killer last season for the Boston Bruins along with Charlie Coyle.
With his absence, the coaching staff used a fourth line of Curtis Lazar - Michael McLeod - Nathan Bastian at Sunday's practice. If Nosek is unavailable versus the Florida Panthers, it would mark the first time Lazar and Bastian are both in the lineup this season.
Nosek signed a one-year, one-way contract worth $1 million on July 19. Last season, the 6-foot-3 forward appeared in 66 games for the Bruins, tallying 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists). His 18 points tied his career-high from the 2020-21 campaign when he was a member of the Golden Knights.