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Loading…Nico Hischier, a 27-year-old center for the New Jersey Devils, grades as a clear top-quartile center with a 87.1 overall (18th of 195).
Power-play production is where he wins, at 98, while penalty killing at 39 is the clear area to improve.
His rating fell from 96.9 in 2024-25 to 83.8 in 2025-26, one of the bigger drops in his 9-season card history.
At $7.25M through 2026-27 before unrestricted free agency, the model rates the deal Underpaid: his expected value is $13.6M, so the New Jersey Devils save roughly $6.32M a season against his production.
An extension worth $11.7M a year for 5 seasons (2027-28 to 2031-32) kicks in after that, which the model grades Fair.
His cap hit is the 7th-largest on the New Jersey Devils NHL roster and uses 7.0% of the $104M ceiling; the club currently has $897K in cap space.
| Component | Rating (0-100) |
|---|---|
| Offense | 79 |
| Defense | 82 |
| Play driving | 85 |
| Finishing | 65 |
| Power play | 98 |
| Penalty kill | 39 |
| Season | Team | GP | Overall | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | NJD | 82 | 83.8 | 0.8 |
| 2024-25 | NJD | 75 | 96.9 | 1.6 |
| 2023-24 | NJD | 71 | 91.3 | 1.2 |
| 2022-23 | NJD | 81 | 94.1 | 1.5 |
| 2021-22 | NJD | 70 | 81.7 | 0.8 |
| 2020-21 | NJD | 21 | 57.2 | 0.1 |
| 2019-20 | NJD | 58 | 73.7 | 0.4 |
| 2018-19 | NJD | 69 | 82.6 | 0.6 |
| 2017-18 | NJD | 82 | 75.3 | 0.6 |
Other NJD centers by rating: Jack Hughes (98.5), Evan Rodrigues (46), Cody Glass (36.1), Colin White (25.4). See the full New Jersey Devils cap sheet.
How we rate players: each skater's overall is a percentile (0-100) built from offense, defense, play driving, finishing, power-play and penalty-kill impact against players at the same position; goalies are rated on goals saved above expected. Contract value compares the cap hit with the salary the model expects for that level of production, age and position. Figures are updated as new games and signings arrive.