The New Jersey Devils are a new-look team without Taylor Hall. It is now led by the likes of Nico Hischier who looks to take the next step.
Taylor Hall has been traded from the New Jersey Devils to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for picks and prospects. He has been the face of the franchise since he came over to the Devils for Adam Larsson back in 2016. He is gone now so that mantle has to be passed on. It is to be determined who will be the better player out of Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier but the fact remains that at least for now, the team is in Nico Hischier’s hands.
He is going to be the face of the franchise for a long time. Hughes might end up being more offensively gifted which could lead to him becoming the more recognizable face but there is no doubt that Nico Hischier is the go-to guy right now. They will almost certainly use him to market the team going forward now that Hall is gone.
This means that it is also the time for Hischier to take the next step on the ice. He is a great player in all three zones but they need more offense from him. We know what he is capable of and it is time he starts doing it now that Hall is gone. That go-to guy that used to be there is no longer there so everyone needs to step up to the plate and get it done. Hischier has a unique opportunity to take over the team now from a leadership perspective.
Nico is the favorite to land the role of captain following Andy Greene‘s departure. If that happens, that will make him even more popular amongst Devils fans. When you are the captain of an NHL team you need to be one of the faces of the franchise and Nico is capable of being that. He has had a lot of pressure on him since he was the number one overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft so he should be able to deal with it.
This is Nico’s team now, and that is exciting for Devils fans to know. He is signed long term so it is up to him and a few others to keep this going. Taylor Hall is gone for good so the young kids have to step up and get the team going int the right direction.