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New Jersey Devils: Travis Zajac Injury Shouldn’t Change Nico Hischier’s Plan

By Nick Villano

CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 23: Nico Hischier is interviewed after being selected first overall by the New Jersey Devils during the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center on June 23, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 23: Nico Hischier is interviewed after being selected first overall by the New Jersey Devils during the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center on June 23, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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Many hockey experts believe the New Jersey Devils will push Nico Hischier into the top six after Travis Zajac got injured in the offseason. The team should not force that for the sake of his development.

Travis Zajac’s injury dealt a terrible blow when Travis Zajac got injured. He’s missing 4-6 months with a torn pectoral. The injury takes out one of the few certainties on this Devils roster, throwing everything for a loop.

Prior to the injury, conventional wisdom said that Adam Henrique and Zajac would center the top lines, giving young players like Nico Hischier, Pavel Zacha and Michael McLeod time to refine their game on the bottom six. That plan is out the window now.

With Zajac’s injury, the easy move to make would be to move Hischier into a second line spot out of the gate. This could be a mistake.

Hischier is a ridiculous talent, there’s no denying that. His talent alone makes him good enough to play on this team’s top six. Unfortunately, talent alone doesn’t make a great hockey player. There’s a lot of development needed to play the kind of minutes an NHL season demands.

This will only be Hischier’s second year in North America. It’s stressful to move into a new environment. Add that to the stress of playing 19 minutes per game in your first NHL season, there’s no way to know how that will affect the kid’s confidence.

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This isn’t to say that Hischier shouldn’t ever play in the top six this season. We’ve seen over the past few years certain teenagers can handle the NHL game right off the bat, but history says these players should be eased in. If Hischier is ready to play those kinds of minutes over an 82 game season, then go for it. Not many players, even first-overall picks, are ready for the wear the pros bring off the bat.

The Devils have players who can fill the first and second center role while Nico continues to develop. There’s no reason for head coach John Hynes to force his best prospect into a role he’s not ready for.

Nico Hischier can become one of the greats. That’s why the Devils should be careful to a point in his first season in the NHL. He has the opportunity to show he’s ready for the workload during training camp. The team just shouldn’t make the decision based on someone else’s injury.

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