Nolan Patrick Is Now Public Enemy Number One For New Jersey Devils

After the New Jersey Devils passed on Nolan Patrick with the number one overall pick in Friday’s NHL Draft, he became a Philadelphia Flyer. He’s now the number one enemy for Devils’ fans.

It’s been a long time since the New Jersey Devils’ fans had someone they could really hate. Sure fans root against guys like Rick Nash and Henrik Lundqvist on the New York Rangers and Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds on the Philadelphia Flyers, but were they really hated?

The Devils haven’t had vitriol for a Flyers player since Eric Lindros. The team didn’t really have a rival since the Rangers decided to fire John Tortorella, and he was the coach. There was so much hate for so many players in the two rivalries. From Mark Messier’s guarantee, to the huge contract from Jaromir Jagr, to Scott Gomez and Bobby Holik taking the money in New York, the hate hasn’t existed in over a decade. As far as Philly goes, the teams have played in three playoff series since the turn of the millennium.

Now, that’s all changed.

For months, Devils fans dove into a treasure trove of content regarding Nolan Patrick. The once consensus number one overall pick could become the next Devils’ star. The only problem, the Devils didn’t pick him. General Manager Ray Shero walked up to the podium, and announced the kid from the Halifax Mooseheads: Nico Hischier.

So now, the rivalry is set in stone forever. It’s been a while since we’ve been in the position where rivals were picking number one and number two in a draft. Forever, Nico and Nolan will be tied to each other. Starting next season, the comparison between the two will continue.

Fans already showed their vitriol for their new rival. The Twitterverse did a complete 180 on Patrick.

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Now, the Devils and its fans circle Saturday January 13th on the calendar next year. That becomes the first time the Devils take on their new rival Patrick. The first of dozens of times Patrick and Hischier will face off throughout their careers.

Every single move these two make, they will be compared. Every single award one of them wins, it will be compared to the other’s. While neither of these players are Conor McDavid and Austin Matthews, they will be very good players for a very long time. Nico and Nolan is the new Devils rivalry. One that will be very fun to watch.