After a solid start, things haven’t been going so well for the New Jersey Devils. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone well for still-new Devils captain Nico Hischier at really any point during this trying season.
Following successful sinus surgery, the Devils announced that Nico Hischier is expected to miss about three more weeks.
Devils announce that Nico Hischier’s out about three (more) weeks
About the best news is that the Devils noted that Hischier cleared concussion protocol. As you can see from the video above this post’s headline, P.K. Subban’s slapper caught Hischier up high for the very unfortunate injury.
While that was probably the most singularly painful moment of Hischier’s unlucky season for the Devils, it’s far from the only setback.
Thanks to a leg injury, the 22-year-old couldn’t make his season debut until Feb. 20. After a sluggish start (zero points through his first three games), Hischier was starting to heat up with three points during a two-game stretch. That included a goal and an assist in that same contest when Hischier got injured.
Brutal.
Being that the Devils headed into Tuesday’s game against the Sabres at 8-13-4, they’d be wise not to rush Hischier into action if it seems like he’s not quite there yet after three weeks. Sure, you want to get Hischier up and running for next season. But, considering how bumpy 2020-21 has been, it would also be wise to err on the side of caution.
The Devils can’t really say that they’re a healthy Hischier away from being truly competitive. It must be comforting to realize that, with an improving Jack Hughes, there might be some light at the end of the tunnel, though.
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.