The New Jersey Devils are still trying to get themselves out of January with their spot in the NHL Standings intact. After a red-hot December, January has been anything but, with the Devils going 4-5-3 this month and 5-7-3 since the Christmas break. In the past month, the Devils have more four-game losing streaks than they have two-game winning streaks.
During that time, injuries started to pile up, making the situation worse. Jacob Markstrom suffered a scary knee injury that thankfully was just a sprain. He will still be out for at least a month and might not be ready to return until late February or early March. Erik Haula still hasn’t returned to the lineup, and he was ice-cold before his injury anyway.
The big injury is to the Devils’ captain, Nico Hischier. He was illegally cross-checked on Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens. Nick Suzuki hit him straight in the ribs with his stick, and the puck went the other way for a Habs goal. Luckily, the Devils won the game in overtime, but it was not the news the Devils wanted coming out of the game.
We heard from Sheldon Keefe that he thought Hischier should only be day-to-day with the injury, but Hischier was sent back to New Jersey for more tests while the team played in Philadelphia. There was concern but cautious optimism. Then, the Devils released an update on Wednesday, showing the prognosis is getting worse.
#NEWS: Head coach Sheldon Keefe said Nico Hischier will miss tonight's game, is "week-to-week", and the team will see how he feels next week.
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 29, 2025
New Jersey Devils need to find someone to replace Nico Hischier's production for a number of weeks.
So, with the Devils reeling, they are losing not only their captain but their leading goal scorer. He has 24 goals this season, five more than Jack Hughes. Fifteen of those goals came at 5v5, making him the most proficient scorer on the team. The Devils have been starved for offense, and Hischier is one of the only players providing it.
The Devils can survive without Hischier for the next week or so, but they can't survive if he's out beyond the 4 Nations Face-Off. Hopefully, this will give him enough time to heal fully and that his injury isn't too serious.