On Wednesday night, the New Jersey Devils will look to secure two points against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center for their first meeting of the season.
While the Devils, led by Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, are a win-now team, the Blackhawks are looking to accelerate their current rebuild.
Chicago’s young talent is headlined by a one-two punch down the middle of Connor Bedard (20) and Frank Nazar (21). New Jersey will not see Nazar, who is sidelined with a “mid” body injury, but will look to stop Bedard, who has a team-leading 25 points in 16 games, and is on an eight-game point streak.
It is hard to look at the Blackhawks’ current rebuild, led by Bedard and Nazar, and not think back to New Jersey’s almost decade-long rebuild, when a young Hischier and Hughes were the light in the midst of the darkness that fell over Prudential Center around 2015.
One person who had a front-row seat during those early years of the dynamic centers was Travis Zajac, who played over 1,000 games for the Devils over 15 seasons.
He exclusively told The Hockey News what it was like to have Hischier and Hughes enter the organization at a time when postseason appearances seemed like a distant dream.
“Honestly, it energizes you,” Zajac said. “It really does because you come to the rink, and you see these young guys who want to be on the ice, non-stop. They want to learn non-stop. They are like sponges, taking everything in. Not only that, they are having fun. It was a breath of fresh air seeing them, and it energizes older players to want to help them out and see them have success.”
Hischier was in the NHL for two seasons before the Devils drafted Hughes first overall in 2019. Zajac shared a locker room with the Swiss native for three and a half seasons before he was traded to the New York Islanders to finish his NHL career.
The now 40-year-old echoed what many saw in 19-year-old Hischier: a young man wise beyond his years.
“Nico was already way more mature at that age than a lot of young guys, even comparing him to myself,” Zajac said. “I think the way he handled himself, the way he came to the rink and worked every day, and had fun. Even at a young age, when he first came in, you could see he was going to be a leader of this team for a long time.”
There is always pressure on a first-overall draft pick. In most instances, fans see these 18-year-olds as their team’s savior, and the media often puts the spotlight on them because of the expectations that come with being a top draft pick.
With the addition of the electrifying Hughes, Hischier noticed a slight change in the spotlight that was cast over him for the first 151 games of his NHL career.
“Jack was a big deal coming in here, so it changed certain things,” Hischier said, reflecting after a recent practice. “Obviously, it helps you out, that is for sure. It helps if another guy comes in and you can lean on each other.”
“They had each other,” Zajac said. “I think it is great to have someone like that that you can lean on in situations where one could be struggling, and one could be having success. Just helping each other out. […] It is tough. They were young coming into a league with full-grown men. A lot was put on their back as far as trying to be the next two superstars for this team, and offensively, trying to carry the team.
“To see it full circle where they are at now, it is amazing.”
Now, Hischier wears the “C” on the front of his jersey, while Hughes has an “A” stitched onto his. The former has previously been named a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, while Hughes developed into one of the best players in the League, breaking numerous franchise records.
While Bedard and Nazar are different players from Hischier and Hughes, with their own unique journeys ahead, their situation is similar, as the Devils captain acknowledged.
The internal and external pressure will always be there for Bedard and Nazar as they continue to develop and become that deadly one-two punch Chicago has been looking for.
And in true Hischier fashion, as someone who has lived and played through it, he provides the reality that fans and media need to keep in mind when it comes to any young player expecting to lead their team into the next era.
“At the end of the day, it is a team sport,” he said. “Obviously, there are always guys who have a little bit more pressure and more of a spotlight on them, but you are not winning with two guys.”
The puck drops between the Devils and Blackhawks at 9:30 p.m., with the game being broadcast on TNT.
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