If you thought Jesper Bratt not signing an extension was the worst news the New Jersey Devils have so far before the 2020-21 season, then oh boy, you’re not going to like this. NHL reporter Elliot Friedman posted on Twitter late Tuesday night that Nico Hischier injured his leg while training for the 2020-21 season in Switzerland.
Hischier injured the leg while training in Switzerland in early December. With the Devils top center now injured, he will miss at least some of training camp. However, there is still a chance Hischier could return by opening night, as the reports say the leg injury is not too severe. The report also states that Hischier’s injury does not require surgery, which is a sigh of relief for Devils fans.
Which Players Will Be Most Affected Now That Hischier is Out?
With HIschier not attending the start of training camp, this causes some issues in the roster. Since this will be Jack Hughes’s sophomore season, having Nico missing is a big blow to the type of chemistry the Devils want to have with both of them playing together. Thankfully, this roster is still full of great mentors for Hughes to help train.
Nikita Gusev is another player on this roster who will be useful with Hischier missing time. Watching Gusev playing on the same line with Hughes and Hischier was such a beautiful thing in that horrifying Devils season last year. The rest of the lineup will struggle with Hischier being out, but these two will more likely than not be affected the most.
Conclusion
So, to quickly sum up, yes, Hischier being out is horrible. Full stop. Thankfully, there is a chance he will come back by the end of training camp and maybe play on opening night. It may seem like a massive loss for training camp, but not having him there at the start is much better than having him miss the whole season or even a chunk of it. Let’s hope head coach Lindy Ruff figures out a solution real soon, though. We wish Nico here a much speedy recovery and to have him back soon. The lineup just isn’t the same without Nico playing in it.