It goes without saying that Nico Hischier needs to be re-signed to a long-term extension. He's played his entire nine-year career in the Garden State, is the team's captain, and is one of the best two-way centers in the game. Simply put, the New Jersey Devils cannot let him walk after next season.
The good news is that Hischier and his team have met with Mehta as recently as two weeks ago. According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Hischier's agent, Allain Roy, had a meeting with Devils GM Sunny Mehta about his client's potential extension. "All things being equal, it would appear an extension is the most likely outcome, but things are at an early and delicate stage", said LeBrun.
WHAT A GOAL FROM NICO HISCHIER WHO WINS IT FOR THE DEVILS IN OT 😱🚨 pic.twitter.com/DaxcAgtYjV
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) January 15, 2026
While that's a positive development, as Lebrun mentions, things are in the early stages. Things can change for the worse, and the hope is that they don't. If everything continues to progress, the question will be what deal both sides ultimately reach. That's where we take a look at his value and the contract projections.
Evaluating Hischier's Value
As stated before, Hischier is one of the best two-way centers in the game. He's nearly a point-per-game player at an average of 0.80%. He can score 25-30 goals a year and push for 80-plus points. He's extremely reliable at the faceoff dot and is constantly tasked with facing other teams' best players every night.
He is the Devil's leading man. He leads by example and will speak up when he needs to. Ultimately, he's everything you want in a captain and star player. It won't be long before he eventually wins at least one Selke Trophy before he hangs up the skates. With all that in mind, let's see what the projections say about what a new Hischier deal will look like.
Long-Term Contract Projection
Hischier will get a pretty hefty pay raise given his play, value, and the rising salary cap. According to AFP Analytics, Hischier is predicted to sign an eight-year deal at almost $11.5 million AAV. While that will look steep to many, it's the reality of the cap going up and who Hischier is on the ice.
Mehta will have to find ways to shed cap to make a deal like this work, as well as re-signing others like Arseny Gritsyuk. Not to mention, he'll need to get creative financially on how to retool a Devils team that missed the postseason this past year. Given that Mehta had to present his plan to fix the team to Hischier and his agent, it's safe to say that he's already in the process of doing so.
A Hischier extension will be a major focal point of a major offseason for New Jersey. The goal will be to lock down the captain long-term before making other major moves. Once that's done, fans can breathe a sigh of relief and watch how Mehta improves the rest of the team.
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