Mon 11/25/13 2:31 PM

Jacob Trouba (neck) will return from a 17-game absence on Monday night against New Jersey. "We'll monitor his minutes but I think he's ready to go. He'll be enthusiastic to play. We're looking forward to having him back," coach Claude Noel said of Trouba. "And now we have seven good defensemen. They've played pretty well, our guys, and it's good. It creates some competition." Trouba had a goal and an assist in his debut, but he didn't have a point in his next seven contests and picked up a minus rating in most of those outings. He has plenty of potential but take a wait-and-see approach with him.