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Hischier $11M Extension? Nemec Trade & Gritsyuk Bargain—Devils Projections
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- Hischier $11M Extension? Nemec Trade & Gritsyuk Bargain—Devils Projections
The New Jersey Devils face perhaps the most pivotal offseason in the franchises history.
It's an offseason where they can put their name back into the contender conversation. Or, it's one where they can completely derail their trajectory which could set them back years. Another long-rebuild is not what Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment seemingly want to sign up for.
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With cap space opening up and a new general manager making decisions, three key eligible extensions stand out: franchise captain Nico Hischier , former No.2 overall selection Simon Nemec , and standout rookie Arseny Gritsyuk .
So, how will Sunny Mehta settle these contracts this summer?
Nico Hischier: 8x$10.5—$11.5M
There's a lot of Hischier discourse online these days.
The Devils' captain is undoubetly an elite two-way center. In fact, he might be one of the best.
He becomes extension-eligible on July 1, 2027. Thus, Hischier has one year left on his seven-year, $7.25M AAV deal. Yet, there's some urgency to get a contract done for the only centerman to reach 900 and 1,000 faceoff wins in 2025-26.
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Most likely projection: Eight –year extension, $10.5–11.5M AAV
Despite the fan-made narrative, Hischier is a proven leader. His strong faceoff wins percentage cannot be undervalued and his penalty-killing contributions, and elite underlying metrics are impressive, even in a statistic off year while on a struggling team in 2025-26.
A natural stylistic comparison is Sasha Barkov of the Florida Panthers . Both are elite defensive centers who dominate in shutdown roles, the face-off dot, excel on the penalty kill, and provide leadership as captains.
Hischier's Selke-level play echoes Barkov's consistent excellence in that department.
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The comparison has limits, however. Barkov is a true superstar with multiple 80–90 point seasons and a Stanley Cup pedigree.
Hischier on the other hand is a very good 60–70 point producer—with one 80-point season under his belt—which reflects that higher offensive tier and impact as opposed to superstar pedigree.
Therefore, Hischier's profile could align better with some mid-20s elite-centers accounting for their percentage against the cap.
Such names include:
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Dylan Larkin ( Detroit , age 26 at signing): Eight years at 10.4% of the cap ($8.7M AAV).
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Sebastian Aho (Carolina, age 26 at signing): Eight years at 11.7% of the cap ($9.75M AAV).
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Roope Hintz ( Dallas , age 26 at signing): Eight years at 10.1% of the cap ($8.45M AAV).
Hischier outperforms recent eight-year deals signed by lesser players at the time, such as Bo Horvat (eight years, 10.2%), Tomas Hertl (eight years, 9.9%), and Mark Scheifele (eight years, 9.7%).
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Obviously, locking Hischier in now avoids 2027 UFA risk and cements a 1-2 down the middle alongside Jack Hughes long-term.
An eight-figure salary feels inevitable for the Devils captain.
Simon Nemec: Bridge or Trade?
If Hischier's contract goes smooth, Simon Nemec's situation prove to be the most difficult to figure out.
It very much feels like either he or Dougie Hamilton will be moved. And given the latters unwillingness to speak since the middle of winter, one would assume Nemec sticks around.
However, the number he's likely to seek could be a non-starter.
Most likely projection: A bridge deal seems most likely as the Devils still have to figure out what they have in Nemec.
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AFP Analytics projects Nemec at a $4,309,066 AAV over a two year deal.
So, a two-year deal worth $4–4.5M AAV seems plausible.
Otherwise, Mehta should seek a trade if negotiations stall.
Given Nemec's offensive production scoring 11 goals in 68 games this season, he certainly holds value as a 22-year-old defenseman.
A long-term contract feels less likely for Nemec. However, if Mehta is a believer, there's no doubt Nemec's camp will start their ask at the Luke Hughes number.
AFP Analytics projects him lower than Hughes' $9M AAV at $8,301,280 through seven years.
That's a big leap to take given Nemec's defensive deficiencies he still needs to improve on, which makes a bridge much safer.
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Arseny Gritsyuk: Buy-Low Opportunity
Coming off his one-year entry-level contract, Arseny Gritsyuk was one of the silver linings in New Jersey this season.
Marchenko signed a two-year entry level contract in 2022 and put together consecutive 20-plus goal seasons. Marchenko's total points improved from his rookie season (25) to his sophomore season (42).
That earned him a second contract with an average annual value of $3.85M over three seasons.
Most likely projection: Two-to-three year extension, $3.5-$4.5M AAV
Gritsyuk's smaller sample falls somewhere in the middle scoring 13 goals and 31 points in 66 games thus far.
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In fact, Gritsyuk's season was cut short due to injury, and was projected to net 16 goals and 38 points had he lasted a full 82 games.
At age 25, he's slightly older than Marchenko was at the time of his extension, which may add a bit more leverage.
Accounting for inflation, a two-year bridge contract between $3.5-$4.5M seems plausible on a "prove it" contract.
Gritsyuk's rookie season was extremely encouraging however. The analytics support the eye test as Gritsyuk ranked fifth-best among New Jersey forwards in xGF% behind only Hischier, Timo Meier , Jesper Bratt , and Jack Hughes .
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It doesn't get any better than that.
Thus, AFP Analytics' five-year projection to bring Gritsyuk to his age-30 season with a $5.5-$6.5M AAV seems like a great buy-low opportunity for Mehta for a player who projects to be a bubble top-six forward in the rising cap era.
Going into one of the most pivotal offseasons in New Jersey's history, it's important for Mehta to get these three contracts right no matter which way they fall. A wrong move could set the Devils back again, potentially long-term.
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