When the 2025-26 season ended, New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier was beat down and sad. He didn’t sound incredibly interested in staying with the New Jersey Devils long term. 

That was just a bad read on him in a tough moment. From that point on, he went back to being all in on the team that selected him first overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. 

One thing that likely helped Hischier want to stay with New Jersey is the addition of Sunny Mehta, who replaced Tom Fitzgerald as the team's General Manager. 

Hischier came into the summer with one year left on his deal that carries a cap hit of $7.25 million. On Wednesday, the Devils announced an extension for Hischier. It's a five-year deal tacked onto his current one that will pay him $11.7 million on average. 

To get Hischier to stay committed to the organization the way that he is, Mehta had to convince him that there is a plan in place to get this team back on track. 

In a post-signing zoom interview, Hischier said that he was curious about how the future would look, but he wanted to stay loyal to New Jersey. 

"I'm part of this team and part of the organization," Hischier said when asked about ever having questions about the state of the team. "I want to be part of the solution. I'm excited to see what still happens in the summer." 

There is a sense of accountability in the words from Nico Hischier. He knows that, especially offensively, there is another level that he can get to. If he and his teammates, specifically Jack Hughes, can reach their overall potential at the same time, they can go up against anybody with the belief that they will win. 

"I'm not going to say everything we talked about, but I think [Mehta] just has a plan. That's important for me," Hischier said. "In Florida, he had a team that won Cups. That experience, he can bring here. His plan sounded good to me." 

Whatever it is that Sunny Mehta said to Nico Hischier clearly was convincing. Hischier isn't an old player by any means, but he's been in the league for a while now, and it's time to win. 

Nico Hischier couldn't profess his love for New Jersey and the Devils enough during the Zoom. He even admitted at one point that he was repeating himself, but for good reason. All he wants to do is fulfill a destiny of greatness with them. 

"It would mean the world to me," Hischier said of winning a Stanley Cup with the Devils and possibly having his number retired after a potential 15+ years with the organization. "You play hockey to win the Stanley Cup. Back in 2017, New Jersey gave me the chance to fulfill my dream of playing in the NHL. I've always said that my biggest goal is winning a Cup with New Jersey. That hasn't changed." 

Some players want money, some want playing time, and some want a situation in which they can win. Hischier wants all three because he's a human, but he has a loyalty to him that you don't see in every player. 

Hischier could have gotten more money on the open market next year. He probably could have even demanded more from the Devils. However, he is aware that being overpaid can hurt the team, too, and his main focus is winning. 

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