The New Jersey Devils had some very intimidating checks to make on the Sunny Mehta to-do list this offseason. Going into the first day of NHL Free Agency, Mehta has solved the Jacob Markstrom dilemma (number two of the to-do list), decided on Sheldon Keefe’s future (number three), shed salary cap (number five), revamped the development staff (number six), traded Simon Nemec for a decent package (number eight), signed Arseny Gritsyuk (number nine), and signed Anton Silayev (half of number 10). He’s crushing his to-do list like a busy parent on their day off.Â
Number one on the to-do list felt like it was going to be the hardest, but it ended up being a pretty tidy piece of work. Nico Hischier has signed a five-year extension with the Devils worth a reported $11.7 million per season.
Devils captain Nico Hischier is expected to sign a 5-year extension with a $11.7 M AAV per season once new League Year starts at noon ET, that's when contract can be registered. He's got one more year left on his deal at $7.25 M next season before extension kicks in for 2027-28.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 1, 2026
Nico Hischier signs a five-year extension paying him $11.7 million per season
The Devils got their captain and one of the top centers in the league locked in for less than $12 million per season. It sounds like a lot of money on the surface, but it’s because of where contracts have been due to the flat salary cap in those COVID years. Since the cap has risen, centers have been getting a premium, and Hischier cashed in much less than if he took this all the way to free agency.
This contract is a win for all parties involved. The Devils obviously get their center and captain locked in for Sunny Mehta’s era of Devils hockey. Hischier gets to know that he’s secure for the next six years with the only NHL team he’s known and loved. He also gets to see his contract lined up with another big deal.Â
He will be 33 years old when this extension expires, meaning he can sign a full six or seven-year deal to finish out his career with a massive raise. Truly, everyone should be happy with this deal.
It would have been optimal if the Devils got Hischier to re-sign for the full eight-year term, but this is much better than a three-year extension. The Devils know that they have to build a winner around Hischier, and his deal goes two years beyond Jack Hughes’s current deal. They have four years of Hughes and Hischier locked in.
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