Does Nico Hischier have the most overlooked "bad" contract in the league?

[Guttersniped]

Those are fair points, but in the end when you’re evaluating a contract you have to look at performance and whether or not that performance matches up. So far it hasn’t and I think mostly everybody in this thread admits that.

Maybe he gets better in the future and lives up to it. That’s fully within the realm of possibility.

Yes, in the first of the contract Nico played 21 games in 56 game (losing) season due to injury and that sucked. For everybody.

 

[jetsforever]

I wouldn't be too worried yet, but it could turn out to be bad.

 

[jetsforever]

A first overall who doesn't put up points is going to be labeled as good defensively if they are or are not, simply to justify the draft position

I've been saying that about Marc-Andre Fleury for years.

 

[McDuffz88]

A first overall who doesn't put up points is going to be labeled as good defensively if they are or are not, simply to justify the draft position

Yeah but Nico actually is really good defensively & it's not even an argument. It's not to justify his position. He's a puck hound who doesn't stop. Laine went 2nd overall & I don't think anyone is complimenting his work ethic or defensive work.

 

[JTmillerForA1stLOL]

Oof. Delete this thread before pettersson sees it.

 

[Lou Bloom]

Any team with available cap space would trade quite a haul to acquire Hischier if he were to be made available, so by that logic alone his contract isn't bad.

 

[Matty Sundin]

He gonna be worth eveyfg inked onenney

 

[Hisch13r]

Nah it'll be fine.

 

[majormajor]

Clayton Keller’s is a similar contract that’s worse. 7 million long term for a one dimensional soft winger that isn’t even that good at his one dimension

That's way worse.

Hischier is paid more than you have to for an RFA, while Keller is on a bad contract regardless of RFA/UFA.

 

[ricky0034]

it isn't a great deal right now but ultimately while they could have signed him shorter term and paid less now and more later and had it look more fair doing it this way will probably work out better for them in the long run considering how much cap space they have right now

 

[Gurglesons]

Hischer rules

 

[playasRus]

Almost identical point production to Brady Tkachuk, with both fan bases hoping they further develop in an exponential track, and Sens fans would swoon if Senators got Brady signed to the same contract. So, no, I don't think it's a bad contract.

 

[Eggtimer]

Yes he is overpaid right now. One year into the c tract and it was a year where he broke his leg , COVID ripped through the team and he got a slap shot to the face and fractured his sinus cavity . I am willing to cut him a little slack lol.
If he does not improve at all with better players / PP / overall team while being healthy , then yes I’d agree he is overpaid and his contract sucks. For now it just kinda sucks. It could either really suck or can be a bargain still. I’m not stressed about it . He will do fine .

 

[biturbo19]

I'd rate his contract as approximately, Paul Stastny with the Avs out of Ten.

Probably too much, but at times, there may be years where it's a reasonable value deal.

It's not a "bad contract" though. It's not one that really hurts you. Even if he's nothing more than a solid all-around #2C, you could do a lot worse than that for $7M. Rough, because we're talking about a 2nd contract under team control, not a UFA deal. But i reckon he's got plenty of headroom to be more than that.

 

[nexttothemoon]

I know it's hard to "overlook" at $9 million.. but every time I run across that Skinner contract on capfriendly... I marvel how far he's fallen off and just how many more years of $9 million are yet to go on that deal.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

I have zero issue with Hischier making what he's making. Dude is all character who plays the game the right way and has skill to burn. His career 5v5 p/60 is ~2.1 despite playing on pretty awful devils teams (drawing 61 5v5 penalties vs only 19 taken). I do think he needs to get better on the PP to be a true top line center, but at 5v5 I think he's already there.

I think people also tend to overlook how instrumental he was in Hall winning the Hart trophy.

I'd expect to see him break 60+ points next year, assuming he can stay healthy. That's very easily worth 7.25M, especially considering how young he is.

 

[flying v 604]

It's not great so far based on his production but he's super young. He's going into his age 22 season as a #1 overall center. His production so far isn't that different from Mack at the same age - who exploded at age 22 into a 97 point season, 2nd place hart, and hasn't looked back since, and is now one of the absolute best players in the world (probably in argument for as high as #2). Not saying Hischier will be as good (Mack always had the higher ceiling) - but he's done good so far and there's no reason a player like him can't still get a lot better.

I'd say there's at least a 75% chance he ends up becoming a great value by the end of his contract, and less than a 20% chance he never lives up to it. NJ has no problem with cap-space, odds are this ends up being a great deal for them, and if somehow it doesn't, it was still worth the risk.

Wouldn't it make more sense to compare him to the players drafted in 2017? Very Meh 1st overall who may end up being with his contract but doubtful its ever considered a steal.
A contract based on the future is only a win if he outplays the contract in the years beyond what a bridge deal would have covered. If he continues with these current numbers, he's going to need to explode in the later part of the deal otherwise the RFA years at 7+ is an overpayment.

 

[Speyer]

The Devils bet on Hischier's future with the contract. Based on the impact he had last season he was certainly overpaid but if he can finally stay healthy this year with better support the contract could look much better very soon. People also need to stop comparing the deal with those of the likes of Svechnikov since it was signed before Covid hit with the anticipation that the salary cap would increase in the future.

 

[tucker3434]

Almost identical point production to Brady Tkachuk, with both fan bases hoping they further develop in an exponential track, and Sens fans would swoon if Senators got Brady signed to the same contract. So, no, I don't think it's a bad contract.

Well, yeah, everybody is hoping they're holding the winning lottery ticket.

 

[BruinLVGA]

6 years left at 7.25M AAV. Has only scored 20 goals in a season once, has only hit 50 points in a season once.

His stat lines so far read: 20-32-52, 17-30-47, 14-22-36, and 6-5-11 (in 21 games).

Obviously he's still young and has lots of time to improve, but that's paying a lot for potential.

Yeah, at best this post is not good, at worst it's made to disparage the player.

You show declining points totals, but - with the exception of the last number - you fail to mention that they were achieved by also lower amount of games played EACH YEAR. He played 82 games, then 69, then 58, then 21. And this was due to 1) injuries who aren't a long-term concern = shit that happened and it's gone, basically, and of course 2) shortened seasons because of Covid19.

You say that he "has only scored 20 goals in a season once, has only hit 50 points in a season once", yet Hischier has 146 points (57g / 89a) in 230 games (career 0.6347 ppg), and that means that over his entire career - a number of games almost worth three 82-games seasons - he has an average of 20 goals + 32 assists = 52 points per 82 games.
By these numbers, production-wise, Hischier IS a 20 goals, 50+ points center: numbers are numbers.

Furthermore, you fail to take into consideration that, excepted for his rookie season when there was a league-MVP-level Taylor Hall dragging the team to the playoffs, Hischier toiled on a team that was utterly abysmal. The Devils, from 18-19 to now, have a record of 78-100-29. Putting up lots of points on such a weak team isn't easy. Example: I remember my Bruins in 14-15 when they missed the playoffs with 96 points, and the team's top scorer was Bergeron with... 55 points (Marchand... 42 points). I can only imagine if they had a 72 points season like the 18-19 Devils, what the individual point totals would have been. And I am sure that if you look at any team who has had a bad season or seasons, you'll see the same (= lower production) for 99% of the players in that team.

Last but not least, Hischier is known for his hockey IQ and 200 ft game. These are very positive things that get no consideration in your "analysis" on how "bad" is his contract. Lastly, I don't think that the Devils gave the captaincy to Hischier because he has a nice smile but otherwise he sucks, right?

If you wanted to make a thread why a steadfast, mature yet young captain / franchise player hasn't reached ppg yet, you would have had an interesting discussion. Calling his the "most bad contract in the league" makes you look very badly. Smh.

 

[sparxx87]

Not at all. He’s 22 years old and hasn’t even started his prime years. Much too soon to tell.

If you’re challenging why teams pay for potential, I agree with you… but based on how that seems to work I still think they see this as a good long-term investment.

 

[Nocashstyle]

He’s been in the league 4 years.

You’re missing a lot of context. He missed all of training camp and was never fully healthy this past season. The other two years before that he paced 20 goals again had they been full seasons.

 

[Wierzbowski426]

Hischier's season last year was completely derailed by injury. He's 22, a center, is very good defensively (while I don't consider him elite defensively, he's better than the rags fans up thread disparaging his defensive game are portraying shockingly).

Pretty confident this contract will be viewed as fair or excellent value in the very near future. Totally ok with it.

 

[Buyout Timo]

I think it has the potential to be a great contract . Unlucky first year with COVID, leg injury, and PK slapper to the face.

 

[NYRKing]

Hischier is quite a talent but he needs to get healthy. Always reminds me of Mackinnon. Not that I think Hischier will be at that level but people forget how much heat Mackinnon got before he broke out under his $6M cap hit.