When Nico Hischier put pen to paper on a seven-year contract extension in October 2019, the New Jersey Devils were an organization searching for direction.
The team's struggles had been well documented, and at the time, even reporters in Hischier's native Switzerland questioned whether signing long-term with the organization had been a mistake.
Back in 2023, Hischier's manager, Patrick Fischer, revealed that his client never wavered when faced with those questions. His answer remained the same: signing a long-term extension with the Devils was not a mistake because he believed in the organization.
"I want to be part of the solution and the turnaround."
In July 2026, the moment he became eligible to do so, Hischier signed a five-year contract extension to remain with the Devils, reaffirming the commitment he made to the organization nearly seven years earlier.
“I am part of this team,” Hischier said during his media availability. “I am part of this organization, and I want to be part of the solution and not run away. That is very important for me.”
Between those two contracts, there was no Stanley Cup championship. There was no uninterrupted climb to contention or steady run of postseason success. Instead, the Devils endured multiple injuries, disappointments, and the growing pains that come with trying to build a perennial contender.
Coaches were fired, general managers were replaced, and each offseason ushered in another wave of roster turnover as the organization searched for the right formula.
Through every change, one thing remained: Hischier's commitment to the franchise that drafted him. His words—“I want to be part of the solution”—have become as solid and enduring as Martin Brodeur’s statue outside Prudential Center.
“For your captain to be able to get a deal done quickly, and to not want to go anywhere else, is a really good sign for the group,” Cody Glass shared in a phone interview with The Hockey News.
“Especially with the way he plays,” Glass continued. “It is face-offs, a lot of time in the defensive zone. He plays both sides of the puck so well, and he could put up more points if he wasn't so good defensively and was put in more offensive situations, but that is kind of the role he has on the team. Such a great job of playing a two-way game. I think everybody should really look at that and really dig in to play the way he does.”
Glass and Hischier entered the NHL together as first-round picks in 2017, with Hischier going first overall and Glass following at sixth.
“I love Nico,” Glass continued. “I have known Nico for a while, and he has always been like that.”
Throughout his own professional journey, Glass has played for captains that include Stanley Cup champions like Mark Stone of the Vegas Golden Knights and Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I have lucked out and played with a lot of good leaders, like Crosby and Stone,” Glass said. “I think it all starts at practice. If you watch Nico in practice, he is like all those guys where he is setting the tone. He is working as hard as he can, out there early, and doing all those things to push everybody else to get better. That is what I see, he is not giving up.
“We follow that as a team,” Glass further explains. “If I see him go out early, I am going to go out. I feel like it is building blocks. If Nico does it, you know, [Lenni Hämeenaho] is going do it, [Arseny Gritsyuk] is going do it, all these young guys are going to do it. That is something I always appreciate. Nico is always so hard working, and he might be a little bit more quiet and to himself, but he leads by example.”
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectNico Hischier’s quiet, lead-by-example style has become a talking point among those outside hockey locker rooms. But within the sport, his approach is far from unique—he is one of many leaders who choose to let their actions speak louder than their words.
“When I was with Crosby it was kind of the same thing,” Glass said. “He would never yell at us, but he would always lead by example. At practice, he was always going as hard as he could, and every single drill he was always trying to win whether it was a fun drill or competitive he always wanted the last laugh. I think a lot of leaders are like that. They are pushing themselves to get better every day, and they want people to just follow. That is how a good team builds.”
Sunny Mehta, who took over as Devils general manager in April, spent time with the Florida Panthers and recently spoke about similarities between Hischier and two-time Stanley Cup champion Aleksander Barkov.
“I do see similarities between Nico and Sasha Barkov,” Mehta shared. “In a lot of ways, actually, Barkov is more quiet than Nico. I think Nico, on the scale of things, would probably be considered a quiet leader, but he is not even as quiet as Barkov. Barkov is really quiet in terms of just the vocal rah rah rah kind of thing, and even his personality. He is just a quiet dude. Nico is way more outgoing than Barkov. Again, it is all relative, but I see a lot of similarities there. Even their style on the ice, they lean defensive, right? They are always the responsible ones. You can rely on them to take a defensive zone draw. They are going to be out there against the other team's best players. They are always going to make sure that when they are in the offensive zone, they are going to be the first guy backchecking. They are going to be the guy high who is going to make sure that there is not an odd-man rush the other way. They are also both very unselfish in the way that they play. There are just a lot of similarities there.”
When 27-year-old Hischier returns to Prudential Center in mid-September, he will do so with a familiar goal and a renewed opportunity: to lead the Devils beyond simply earning a postseason berth and toward the kind of deep playoff run that has remained just out of reach.
He has no interest in dwelling on what is now ancient history. His eyes are fixed on what lies ahead, determined to be part of the solution that could finally turn years of promise into the ultimate prize—the Stanley Cup.
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