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Nico Hischier will be on the New Jersey Devils this season.
The organization has done the right thing not guaranteeing his spot publicly, but his chances of making the team were already extremely high and, with Travis Zajac out long-term, they're now even higher.
So what can we expect from Hischier when he inevitably makes the roster?
In short: a productive but not dominant player. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
I think a lot of people expect way too much from 1st overall picks in their rookie seasons and set themselves up for disappointment by doing so.
Producing points on a consistent basis in today's NHL is very difficult. Doing so as an 18-year-old is even harder.
Hischier is a fantastic prospect and I think he has potential to be a star, but he's not Connor McDavid and he's not Auston Matthews. Hischier producing at a point per game clip (like McDavid) or scoring 40 goals (like Matthews) is just not realistic.
I think 15 goals and 40 points is a reasonable expectation for Hischier.
He's joining a team that plays a low-event game, has struggled to score goals for years, and features very few capable puck movers. It's not exactly an ideal situation for piling up points.
The Devils added some pieces to improve offensively (like Hischier and Marcus Johansson) but there was a lot of work to be done, and they're now without their top center, so it's not like they're going to be scoring at will this season, especially in the league's hardest division.
Hischier will get a steady dose of minutes, likely on the 2nd line, and be used in power play situations. He'll get his points as a result but if you're expecting him to come in and dominate, you're going to be disappointed.
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