The New Jersey Devils are counting the wins since Sunny Mehta took over as GM a couple of months ago. It hasn’t been anything huge, but the wins are coming. First, he cleaned up the front office, allowing him to start hiring people under his own tutelage. It started when they parted ways with Dan MacKinnon and Chuck Fletcher. Meghan Duggan left shortly after to take over the PWHL franchise in Hamilton.
He also said goodbye to goalie coach Dave Rogalski, a controversial figure amongst this fanbase. Right now, the coaching staff is just Sheldon Keefe as head coach and Brad Shaw as assistant coach with a focus on defense. After Jeremy Colliton left for other business ventures, it gives the Devils a chance to refresh.
Mehta also got the entry-level contract done for Anton Silayev. That’s more of an obvious move and one many expected, but it’s a win nonetheless.
Now, Mehta is about to announce the biggest win of the offseason for the Devils. The sharks were circling Newark, looking to jump at the chance to trade for Nico Hischier. The Devils captain has one year left on his deal after becoming one of the best two-way centers in the league. He’s a great player on both sides of the ice, and he’s taken over as the shutdown role, something he’s done very well against the best players in the league.
Multiple reports say the Devils are moving past the hardest parts of the negotiation. That big hump, in our opinion, is length. Price was always going to be high.
Nico Hischier's most important number is the term of his deal
And that’s what Devils fans should focus on. As long as Hischier’s contract doesn’t move passed $12 million per year, it’s not going to be that painful.
Because here’s the thing, teams shouldn’t complain about paying star players star prices, even in a salary cap world. Where teams find pain is paying the wrong players entirely. The Johnny Kovacevic and Jacob Markstrom contracts are more painful on a year-to-year basis than Hischier because much cheaper players can replace what they do. The Devils cannot replace what Hischier does on the trade or free agency market.
Which is why the length of the contract is what matters here. Hischier’s deal needs to be minimum six years if the Devils are paying this kind of price. It seems like many star players aren’t following the old adage of shorter contracts equal smaller price tags. They want superstar money for two and three-year deals.
If the Devils can get an eight year deal no matter the price, then Mehta was have checked his biggest to-do this offseason in the most spectacular way. If he gets a six or seven-year deal, it’s still a huge win.
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