September is here, and the Devils’ runway to opening night is getting short. Rookies are due at training camp on Sept. 11, veterans follow on Sept. 16, and then New Jersey gets a four-game preseason before the regular season opens Oct.
- For a team trying to answer after a rough year, the clock is already ticking.
One of the biggest individual bright spots around the organization is Nico Hischier, who keeps collecting recognition. After being listed among the NHL’s top 20 centers, the Devils captain landed at No. 43 on NHL Network’s top 50 players list. That fits with the season he’s coming off, after his fifth straight year with more than 20 goals and 60 points.
Hischier’s value is easy to see because it shows up everywhere. He can finish, win draws, and handle the defensive work in front of the net. His skating, his positioning, and the way he can tilt the ice in all three zones make him the kind of player New Jersey leans on in every situation.
It has also been a busy offseason for him. In early July, Hischier signed a five-year extension with an average annual value of $11.7 million. A little more than a week later, he helped save a family in distress on the Aare River in Switzerland, assisting police officers during the rescue.
On the team side, ESPN and TNT Sports have now laid out the Devils’ national TV schedule for 2026-27, and New Jersey will be on 12 times. That slate starts with the home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 1, and it also includes the Oct. 13 game against the Detroit Red Wings that opens ESPN’s Frozen Frenzy tripleheader at 6 PM ET.
Here’s the full national broadcast slate for New Jersey:
Oct. 1 vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu
Oct. 13 vs. Detroit Red Wings, 6:00 PM ET, ESPN
Nov. 3 vs. Edmonton Oilers, 7:30 PM ET, ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu
Dec. 1 vs. San Jose Sharks, 7:30 PM ET, ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu
Dec. 9 vs. Detroit Red Wings, 7:00 PM ET, TNT
Dec. 17 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:30 PM ET, ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu
Jan. 19 vs. Dallas Stars, 7:30 PM ET, ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu
Feb. 23 vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7:30 PM ET, ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu
Feb. 28 vs. Minnesota Wild, 3:30 PM ET, TNT
March 4 vs. Detroit Red Wings, 6:00 PM ET, ESPN
March 31 vs. Minnesota Wild, 7:30 PM ET, TNT
April 4 vs. Florida Panthers, 4:30 PM ET, TNT
Elsewhere around the league, Cale Makar’s new deal with Colorado has changed the math on any possible Quinn Hughes pursuit. Makar’s eight-year, $163.2 million extension made him the NHL’s highest-paid player, and that only makes the idea of adding the third Hughes brother more complicated for New Jersey.
The cap picture is not friendly, either. The Devils have $3.85 million left, and Hughes could become a free agent after this season.
With the price expected to climb well above that, the path for New Jersey looks difficult. The length of any future deal also matters, whether it’s a shorter term that lines up with Jack Hughes or a long-term commitment like Makar’s.
The longer Minnesota goes without a new deal for the 26-year-old defenseman, the louder the speculation gets. Still, Wild GM Bill Guerin says he expects a resolution. “I can be confident, you can be insecure, you just have to work through the process of the negotiations, figuring out what the player wants, what it will take to keep him, make him happy,” Guerin stated.
The latest “Greetings From Jersey” episode is also on the way, this time with Timo Meier. The clip teased his offseason in Switzerland and his annual youth hockey camp, where he worked with more than 100 kids at Herisau Sports Center in July.
That camp is now in its seventh year, and it takes place at the same spot where Meier first fell in love with hockey as a kid. The full episode drops on YouTube on Sept. 3.
In Other News...
Wild Took A Low Cost Scoring Swing Fans Should Watch Closely
Minnesota kept its offseason cost low but still made a move that could matter if it clicks, signing Russian forward Maxim Shabanov to a one-year deal after the New York Islanders declined to qualify him as a restricted free agent. For a Wild club always looking for affordable ways to add skill, it is the kind of transaction that does not make a huge splash on paper but can quietly shape the forward group if the player settles in quickly.
The appeal is obvious: low risk, potential scoring upside, and a chance to see whether Shabanov can translate his game into a new setting with Minnesota. The Wild have been willing to shop in this part of the market before, and this is the sort of move that could look clever in hindsight if he finds a role, or fade into the background if he does not. Still, for a team trying to squeeze value from every roster spot, it is one worth following closely. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Cap Crunch Could Create One Unexpected Expansion Benefit
The Wilds roster math is becoming hard to ignore, and it carries a familiar kind of worry for a team trying to stay in the playoff conversation. With Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes driving the top end, the concern is less about star power than what comes behind it, especially when you stack the current depth against the 2014-15 group that once gave Minnesota so much more balance.
A planned NHL expansion team in 2029-30 adds another layer to the cap squeeze, because every extra dollar committed now can matter later when protection decisions arrive. Filip Gustavssons no-trade clause is part of that larger picture, too, since it shapes how much flexibility the Wild would have if they decide to juggle the crease before an expansion draft forces the issue. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Camp Suddenly Centers On A Forward Battle That Really Matters
Less than a month before the regular season, the Wild still have a roster picture that is not fully settled, and that makes training camp feel more like a live audition than a formality. Offseason departures left gaps that have yet to be filled, even as Minnesota is expected to open camp with most of the group healthy. The one notable absence is Filip Gustavsson, who is recovering from hip surgery, leaving the club to sort through the rest of the roster while it waits for the season to get closer.
That uncertainty puts extra weight on the forward group, where the organization is mixing established pieces with prospects trying to force their way in. Charlie Stramel and Hunter Haight are among the younger players competing for spots, and the Wild still have to figure out line chemistry and whether additions are needed before opening night. For a team that already knows what it has on defense, the next few weeks are really about finding out which forwards can make the group fit. [Read more 🡒]