New Jersey Devils' Nico Hischier 'frustrated' with lack of success, believes in the group

After a blazing breakout 2022-23 season, hopes have been higher for the New Jersey Devils, who were in a long, grueling rebuild for nearly a decade leading into it.

But, the Devils missed the playoffs in 2023-24, and in 2024-25, a hot start fizzled out, injuries set in once again, and New Jersey was handily dismissed in the first round of the postseason by the Metropolitan Division rival Carolina Hurricanes in five games.

The process, in the eyes of Devils captain Nico Hischier, has been frustrating, but as the leader he is, the former No. 1 continues to publicly express belief in his teammates, including the ones who have been injured.

"Yeah, very frustrated, for sure. I feel we do have a great team. If you look in our locker room, we got the guys that care. We got competitive guys that want to win," Hischier told SiriusXM NHL of the injury battles and team struggles. "But, yeah, injuries have been bothering us the last few years, and it's hard. But I know the characters we have in there, and I know guys that have injuries that come back, they do whatever they can and work hard to come back stronger.

"For us, it's going to be just a challenge to play an 82-game season the way we know we can play. I feel that's the challenge for every team team, but it's so important to be consistent for us and to play our game style. If we do that, we're a hard team to play against, I feel like. We got the talent, I feel like, and I have confidence in the group and I'm a big believer in everything happens for a reason. I think we just trust the process here and move forward for a new year."

As Hischier noted, playing through the full season - not just parts of it - has been a challenge.

For example, last year, the Devils were just 18-20-4 after Jan. 1. But, between Oct. 4 and Jan. 1, they were cruising along with a 24-14-3 record, starting off the season strong with back-to-back defeats of former head coach Lindy Ruff and his Buffalo Sabres at the Global Series in Prague, Czechia.

That's a challenge second-year head coach Sheldon Keefe will have to navigate as he continues to further understand his players, and it's a challenge the core group will have to handle moving forward.

Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, and Timo Meier aren't up-and-coming prospects anymore, and it's on them to put the last two seasons behind them and show the true identity of this Devils team moving forward.