Sunny Mehta’s expectation for his first-ever offseason with the Devils is high, and with good reason. Mehta has a chance to do what Tom Fitzgerald could never do: gain a top 6 scorer like Jason Roberton, Alexander Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, Matthew Knies, etc.
Some would argue they could attempt a crazy trade to get a guy like Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews, since both players, as of right now, aren’t happy with their current situations. However, with some of these players still under contract with their original teams, they would need to trade a hefty haul to get them. One of the players seen a lot in mock trades is the Devils captain, Nico Hischier.
Nico Hischier, in his nine years of career in New Jersey, has been polarizing. He’s a great, talented center, he has a good shot, and he’s been the best guy to have when the Devils needed to win the faceoff. Nico had 66 points this season, his 4th-highest in his career, and he was 3rd on the team in points. Nico was just recently selected for the 2026 IIHF World Championships as one of the assistant captains for Switzerland. Nico’s personality and overall love of being here in New Jersey are great.
Trading Nico Hischier may be on the table for the New Jersey Devils
Unfortunately, there is one glaring issue that a lot of people have pointed out with Hischier, and that is captaincy. People have pointed out that while Hischier is a good player, he isn’t a good captain, which can lead the Devils to the Stanley Cup.
Some could argue that he isn’t someone they can rally behind and isn’t strong enough to take a hit from players like both Matthew and Brady Tkachuk. People can also say that Auston Matthews or Connor McDavid, who, yes, may be more talented than Hischier, are better captains suited for the Devils.
But if that’s certainly the case, why haven’t the Maple Leafs or the Oilers lifted the Stanley Cup yet with either of them? Maybe a change of pace where the pressure in the Canadian market can work for them, but are they worth trading someone like Hischier for, with the way he has been structured on this team for years?
The easiest option is for him to stay in New Jersey and continue his chances of winning the Cup with this core. The Devils have a GM who has the right vision, and he should be able to get them on the path to success fairly quickly. Hischier has experienced little playoff success, making it to the second round once.
Trading him now would ruin the bond that guys who love playing with him have had for years. But at the same time, Sunny would be taking a big risk by trading him in his first year to prove himself as a great GM, and that would be an interesting thing to see to bring some talent to a team that is very lacking big-name top talent.
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