New Jersey Devils notes: On Hischier's return and special teams

The Captain is back practicing in full. Plus, thoughts on Sharangovich being removed from the PP and the potential for a very strong PK.

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A few New Jersey Devils notes as we quickly approach opening night:

Nico’s back!

The biggest news of the day – by far – is that Nico Hischier not only returned to the ice to practice with the Devils; but that he has been getting reps on primary special teams units.

With the season opener just a couple of days away, Nico surely wouldn’t be getting those reps if the plan wasn’t for him to play.

I can’t stress enough how important his return is. There is a lot to like about the Devils roster but having Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier as a 1-2 punch down the middle certainly tops the list. There are plenty of teams without one center of that caliber; let alone two.

With the laundry list of nagging injuries key Devils have dealt with in recent years, Hischier’s preseason hamstring flare up was certainly cause for concern.

This early in the year it’s fair to assume the Devils would take ever precaution and avoid rushing Nico back into the lineup. That he feels healthy enough to play from Day 1 is certainly a welcomed bit of news.

As I mentioned Monday, having Hischier healthy *really* allows the Devils to balance their lineup if that’s the approach they wish to take. The top-9 could look something like this:

L1: Palat/Hughes/Holtz
L2: Tatar/Nico/Bratt
L3: Yeezy/Haula/Mercer

Yeezy’s off the power play