The New Jersey Devils have been a strong team once again this offseason. People are holding back their expectations lately because of the fact that some good summers haven’t led to a lot of winning. However, this one does seem to be a good summer that can lead to some success. Of course, the additions of players like Dougie Hamilton, Jonathan Bernier, and Tomas Tatar are going to be huge for them right away.
A lot of their success will rely on those guys playing well and the young players taking a big step. We know about Jack Hughes and his potential offensively. He has all of the flashy talents to be a 100 point star. With his brother Luke on the way, Hughes is ready to go. He is one of the two most important players in the organization.
The other is Nico Hischier. The other number one overall pick on the team is geared up to take another big step. He was named to be the captain during the 2020-21 season and has done a great job. He isn’t as gifted or flashy as Hughes but he is becoming an elite two-way centerman. He is on track to become one of the more underrated players in the league for that reason.
It would be nice to see him take a bigger step offensively. He isn’t going to be the highlight reel leader like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, or Sidney Crosby but he is going to make some big plays. Every time New Jersey needs something big on the ice, you can expect Hischier to be a part of it.
The New Jersey Devils need Nico Hischier to be great for them in all situations.
When the team is up a goal and needs to protect a lead late, Hischier is out there. When they are down a goal and need a quick one late, Hischier is out there. He is the definition of a player that goes out there in all situations. If the offensive numbers really start to reach their full potential, the Devils will be loaded down the middle of the ice.
His success this upcoming season might be the most important on the team. If they have Hughes and Hischier dominating down the middle, they will be very hard to beat. With one being an offensive guy and the other playing well in all three zones, they will become a matchup nightmare. If that happens, the playoffs are a realistic possibility. We can only hope that this season is very big for Nico because that is the most important thing right now.