The New Jersey Devils received disappointing news on Nico Hischier, who is currently sidelined with an upper body injury. He sustained the injury during the second period of the Devils’ game against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Hischier was initially listed as day-to-day. On Wednesday, after evaluation, the Devils have shifted his status to week-to-week. Sheldon Keefe revealed that Hischier will be evaluated again next week.
The Devils have struggled all throughout January. They are 6-7-3 since the Christmas break. It hasn’t helped that the injuries are piling up. With the 4 Nations Face-Off coming up, the Devils will soon get a reprieve with some time for their injured players to heal. In the meantime, they need to keep pushing through the struggles.
With Hischier out, the Devils have lost their most dynamic center. The captain's consistency, two-way play and leadership are sorely missed with him out of the lineup. Hischier is the team's leading goal scorer and is third in points. The Devils have struggled to score lately, and now they need to find a way to get the puck in the net without Hischier. Jack Hughes is still dealing with an injured finger but is playing through it. He’s giving the Devils as much as he can, but the team needs more offense. Here are three Devils who need to step up to fill the void of Hischier’s absence on the ice.
1. Jesper Bratt
If there’s anyone who can get the team’s offense going while Hischier is out and Hughes plays through an injury, it’s Jesper Bratt. With 56 points in 52 games, he is on pace for 92 points this season. Bratt is already doing a lot, so he’s not someone who the team needs more out of per se. They just need him to keep doing what he is capable of doing. He’s someone who can share the responsibility with Hughes and help carry this team offensively.
Bratt has four points in the last three games. An area where the Devils need him to come through is on the power play. Hischier has 18 power play points this season. It’s no surprise that the first power play unit looked liked someone was missing on Monday. Bratt can kickstart something on the power play and fill this void. If he keeps grinding, he can help the Devils get through tough times.