New Jersey Devils: Where Does History Suggest Nico Hischier’s Career Is Headed?
Whether you prefer the eyeball test, plain statistics, or advanced statistics, Nico Hischier had a stellar rookie season for the New Jersey Devils (made even more impressive by the fact that he battled a hand injury all season).
Nico Hischier displayed an extremely solid two-way game and played himself onto the first-line for the New Jersey Devils. He played alongside NHL MVP Taylor Hall. He played all 82 contests, scoring 20 goals and dishing 32 assists to check in as the Devils second-leading scorer. Nico placed fourth on the Devils with a 50.1% Corsi (minimum five games played) and tied for third-best with a +10 plus/minus. Quite simply, Nico capably filled a top-center role for the Devils and helped elevate the team into the playoffs.
As a Devil fan who watched Hischier all season, he looks like a future superstar to me, as I am sure he does to most Devils fans. But purely based on historical comparison to the past 20 years of No. 1 overall forwards, where does Hischier’s career appear headed?