New Jersey Devils 2026-27 Player Projections: Nico Hischier

Every team has a lot of pressure heading into the 2026-27 season, but the New Jersey Devils might be at the top of that list. They have a strong team, and last season, they had a strong start but inevitably crumbled and missed the postseason. The Devils are determined to not let that happen again.

Each player on the team has a role to fill, and as we gear up for the start of the season, we are going to start doing player projections. For the first one, what better way to start than to look at the team captain, Nico Hischier.

Hischier’s 2025-26 Performance

Hischier had a strong 2025-26 performance, which is not much of a surprise. He recorded 66 points via 28 goals and 38 assists. He led the team in goals scored, and six of his goals were game-winning goals, which is always a great accomplishment.

Hischier was also named to Switzerland’s Olympic men’s hockey team for the 2026 Winter Games. He had a career-defining moment in the game to help Switzerland reach the quarterfinals. He scored two goals and recorded an assist to get his team in a position to try and go for the gold. Unfortunately, Switzerland was eliminated in the quarterfinal round and finished in fifth place.

Expectations for 2026-27

As the captain of the team, there is a lot of pressure on Hischier’s shoulders. However, he continues to prove that he can handle it all. The Devils were primed to take one of the playoff spots after a strong performance at the beginning of the 2025-26 season, but after struggling towards the end of the season, that spot fell from their grasp.

Hischier’s expectations at the team level are to keep a strong head on his shoulders. He needs to motivate his team and keep them pushing for the postseason throughout the entirety of the 2026-27 season. At no point can the Devils relax and push on the brakes. 

For himself, the expectation is for Hischier to continue producing points. He has excelled at it the last several seasons, so the belief is that he will be able to do it again in 2026-27.

According to my colleague, Devora Slonim, she believes Hischier will center the first line again, with Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer at his wings. This is also likely, after their success together last season. Although the Devils made some offseason moves, those were to help solidify the bottom six, while the top six remain intact. While Hischier’s line could flex between the first or second lines, it seems more likely that the trio will make up the first line.

Upcoming Career Milestones

Hischier has some really exciting career milestones coming up, all in the points department. He is just one goal shy of his 200th NHL career goal. On top of this, Hischier is 11 assists away from 300 total assists. This also makes Hischier 12 points away from 500 total career points. While it would be cool for him to have a solid even stat line, it is not necessarily realistic for him to score just one goal and record 11 assists to reach the 500-point milestone. Regardless, it is fantastic that Hischier is so close to reaching these incredible milestones.

In the games department, Hischier just reached his 600th career game towards the end of the 2025-26 season. He currently has 609 games under his belt, and provided he stays healthy, Hischier will have played in 693 total games if he plays in all 84 games this season. By the time the 2027-28 season rolls around, he will begin the season seven games shy of 700 total NHL games.

2026-27 Projections

Last season, Hischier was in third place on the stat leaderboard with his 66 points. Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt were in first place with 77 points and second place with 71 points, respectively. My bold prediction is that Hischier will break 70+ points for the second time in his career.

The only time he broke 70 points was in the 2022-23 season, where he recorded 80 points. In the 2026-27 season, I believe he will do it again.

The NHL is also changing how they do the All-Star Game this season, where five teams will compete in a three-on-three, round-robin exhibition tournament. The five teams will be USA, Canada, Sweden, Finland, and “World,” comprised of players from all other countries than those four. It would not be a surprise if Hischier was named to the “World” team.