The New Jersey Devils have a lot to do this offseason, already starting the changes by letting Tom Fitzgerald go and hiring Sunny Mehta as the new GM. The roster needs changes. A decision on the head coach is still upcoming. Just about everyone in the front office is fighting for their job, short of Martin Brodeur. On top of all that, they have to prepare for a big pick in the NHL Draft.Â
One of the biggest moves left on Sunny Mehta’s early to-do list is getting an agreement in place for captain Nico Hischier. Or, at the very least, figuring out what he might want. The Devils advantage was always that they had two top centers who are still very young. Hischier and Jack Hughes is how the Devils get out of this mess, even if they haven’t been able to up to this point.
If Nico Hischier refuses to sign, will the Devils trade him this offseason? It has to be on the table, but we don’t foresee that even being an option. The Devils are going to make this work, and the contract is going to be large.
The price is going to impact their ability to sign big stars moving forward, but it will be telling to see how far Mehta is willing to go to re-sign their 2C.Â
The New Jersey Devils should sign Nico Hischier to whatever deal is necessary
One thing we shouldn’t worry about is the no-trade clause. That’s on the mind of Devils fans because of the situation Fitzgerald put them in. He gave everyone no-trade clauses. The Devils had as many no-trade clauses as anyone in the league.Â
Hischier already has a partial no-trade clause. There’s no world where he doesn’t get a no-trade clause in his next contract. Stefan Noesen has a no-trade clause. Johnny Kovacevic has a no-trade clause. Everyone of remote relevance, short of Dawson Mercer, has a no-trade clause.Â
If we accept the fact that the Devils are going to pay Hischier a boatload of money and give him a full no-move clause, anything that falls even remotely below that will feel like a win.
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