Devils Captain Injured, Out Week-to-Week

The New Jersey Devils will be without their captain following a recent injury.
Jan 22, 2025; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier (13) celebrates his goal against the Boston Bruins during the third period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Jan 22, 2025; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier (13) celebrates his goal against the Boston Bruins during the third period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images / Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
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The news continues to worsen for the New Jersey Devils. First it was a new year's slump, followed by an injury to starting goalie Jacob Markstrom. Now, the team will be without another one of their most important players for at least the next few games.

In advance of the Devils' contest against the Philadelphia Flyers, the team's head coach announced that captain Nico Hischier would miss the game and would be out at least the rest of the week. Devils Head Coach Sheldon Keefe classified Hischier's injury as "week-to-week," and stated that the team will reevaluate their captain in a week.

The absence of Hischier is just another obstacle for the Devils to overcome in the midseason. The team had an excellent first half, putting themselves in a prime playoff position and in line to challenge for the Metropolitan Division title. But the team is 4-3-3 in their last 10 and now has to find a way to replace the impact of both their captain and their starting goalie.

Hischier has had an electric 2024-2025 campaign. He began the season on fire, recording 10 goals in the first 15 games. While he's cooled off a bit since his hot streak, he's still been an consistent point producer for New Jersey. In 51 games so far this year, he has 24 goals and 19 assists for 43 points while also playing heavy penalty killing minutes and averaging over 20 minutes of ice-time per game.

That's the kind of game Hischier has brought to the Devils since the team selected him first overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. The Swiss scorer is one of the best two-way forwards in the entire NHL, and hopefully New Jersey will not have to wait long for their most important player and locker room leader to return to the lineup.

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