New Jersey Devils: Nico Hischier Contract Should Mirror Clayton Keller

The Arizona Coyotes just announced that Clayton Keller was re-signed to a new eight-year contract. The New Jersey Devils need to try and sign Nico Hischier to a similar contract.

It was a good day for Arizona Coyotes fans. They learned they won’t have to go through a restricted free agency negotiation next summer. The Yotes announced they re-signed Clayton Keller to a new eight-year deal worth $7.15 million per season. This is something New Jersey Devils fans should really focus on.

This deal could be a catalyst for the deal the New Jersey Devils sign for Nico Hischier. Keller and Hischier were rookies at the same time. They are scoring at basically the same points per game clip. These two players are very comparable.

The big difference here is position. Nico Hischier plays center, which is a more expensive position. However, Hischier is now in a 1A, 1B situation with Jack Hughes. Yes, we know that Hughes has yet to play an NHL game, but we expect him to be very good.

There’s a lot going into a Nico Hischier contract, but the Devils should try their best to get him signed now. They have Taylor Hall and Sami Vatanen as unrestricted free agents and Jesper Bratt and Mackenzie Blackwood, among others, as restricted free agents. The Devils don’t want to have to negotiate with everyone at once. That will be more than stressful. If they could get one of the two big fish signed now, this would make next offseason much better.

If the Devils came out right now and said they signed Nico Hischier to Clayton Keller’s exact contract, we should all celebrate. We all expect Hischier to really break out this season, and if he’s able to get between 70 and 80 points, he will get a lot more expensive than this. If the Devils want to get NIco on a nice deal, they need to do it now.