Sunny Mehta has his work cut out for him as he starts his tenure with the New Jersey Devils. On the top of the new GM's to-do list is getting an extension done with Nico Hischier. The Devils' captain has been with the team since he was taken first overall at the 2017 NHL Draft, but the success many expected from the franchise stll hasn't come.
While many Devils fans are frustrated by the Devils’ lack of success, it’s the futility of the roster construction that is holding the team back. So often, the Devils allowed the team to go into the season with a major hole with hopes to fill said hole if it became a disaster.
Unfortunately, between that particular position becoming expensive almost every time the Devils need it and Tom Fitzgerald’s inability to pull the trigger on the risky trade, the Devils have more lost seasons than successful ones. If it wasn’t the goaltender position, it was a missing top-six winger or a lack of top-line defenseman.
On Tuesday morning, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that Hischier and Mehta have started initial discussions on an extension. Despite an extension being the most obvious conclusion to this situation, especially one that happens this summer so Hischier can maximize and sign for the full eight years before the collective bargaining agreement changes and limits contracts to seven years for players re-signing and six years for unrestricted free agents.
If Hischier wanted to go all the way to free agency, he would be leaving two years on the table, making this a unique circumstance for the player and team.
However, it’s very unlikely Hischier makes it to free agency. Even if the Devils can’t get a deal done, they will almost definitely trade him and take the massive haul that comes with trading a top center in this league.
LeBrun named a few teams that make sense, including the Los Angeles Kings (who are losing Anze Kopitar to retirement this year) and the Montreal Canadiens (who have been looking for a superstar center to pair with Nick Suzuki).
The reason why so many teams (LeBrun says that more than a dozen teams would line up for Hischier’s services) are interested in the situation. If Mehta doesn’t get this done by July 1st, similar to the Quinn Hughes situation in Minnesota, then the sharks are going to circle the Devils. In fact, some are saying the Devils should just trade Hischier for Quinn Hughes straight up.
This would be a mistake, as the Devils would be chasing that second-line center until they were able to “replace” Hischier. Half of the teams in the league could use a better second-line center. If the Devils join that situation, it could lead to Jack Hughes eventually getting annoyed with the franchise and leaving the first chance he gets.
LeBrun ended his article talking about how this situation is “delicate,” and an extension is still most likely.
"So there are two factors at play. Mehta is trying to find an extension number that works for both sides while keeping the Devils as competitive as possible under the salary cap. But Hischier also needs to hear all the right things from the new GM as far as getting New Jersey looking like a contender in a hurry."Pierre LeBrun, The Athletic
Hopefully, the Devils figure this out quickly so this doesn't become a situation that continues throughout the offseason.
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