With just three playoff appearances and one series victory to show for his first nine seasons in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils, Nico Hischier had some questions this spring about the direction of the organization.
“There were just a lot of talks, and obviously I was curious what the plan is,” Hischier said.
Those talks with new general manager Sunny Mehta on the future led to Hischier signing up to stay for the long term. The Devils on Wednesday agreed to terms with their captain on a five-year extension worth $58.5 million, a salary cap hit of $11.7 million annually from when the deal kicks in for the 2027-28 NHL season through 2032.
“I want turn the ship around here and ... I want be part of the solution,” Hischier said on a video call with reporters. “I still do believe we have a great team. We have great foundation pieces.”
Hischier, in the middle of his prime at 27, has been one of those foundational pieces since getting taken with the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft. The Swiss center scored a team-high 28 goals last season, and his 66 points ranked third behind face-of-the-franchise Jack Hughes and talented winger Jesper Bratt.
“When I took this job, I knew that Nico was one of the core pieces that I definitely wanted as part of our future,” Mehta said. “The way he plays the game, his leadership and selflessness are qualities we value for this team. We all look forward to him leading this franchise, on and off the ice, for years to come.”
After accomplishing arguably his most important task by re-signing Hischier, Mehta still has some work to do as he remakes the Devils. Atop that list is getting another goaltender to pair with Jake Allen after trading Jacob Markstrom to Florida.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/nhl
Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
