The regular season is here. And for the Devils, Thursday, Oct. 10 is their big opening night. The New Jersey team is looking a lot better than they have previously. The Devils’ forward core includes Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, and Dawson Mercer. These five are the only returning players with a 20-goal season or better in 2023-24.
So, the New Jersey Devils are completely full of talent on their roster. Which players can reach new heights in the upcoming season?
Between Jack Hughes, Dawson Mercer and Nico Hischier there's certainly a lot of options there for who could have record breaking years.
Let's take a more in depth look at this Pucks and Pitchforks' writer thinks will set new career highs this year.
1. Nico Hischier
Hischier will at the very least replicate or improve from last season, when he had 80 points in 81 games. Guys like Nico get low to keep the puck on their stick and combine that skating ability with their passing ability to prolong offensive possessions.
Hischier became the highest-drafted Switzerland-born player in NHL history when the Devils selected him No. 1 in the 2017 NHL Draft. Just last season, he set a personal league career high of 67 points, including another personal high of 27 goals scored.
With how stacked the Devils' roster is, sometimes people forget that he ranked second among Devils forwards in ice time per game, won 53.9 percent of faceoffs, and had NHL career highs of 31 goals, 49 assists, and 80 points in 2022-23.
Playing with such a high-powered offense also gives Hischier plenty of opportunities to tack on assists. At the Global Series, he played two games and has already logged one goal on the year. Aside from himself, the Devils’ offensive is scary. And he will only build on that success this year.