Nico Hischier had a great rookie campaign in 2017-18. It started as a whirlwind. He was supposed to slot in as the number two or three center on the team. The Devils had the first line set: Taylor Hall–Travis Zajac–Kyle Palmieri. It was the only line that showed any offensive prowess the season prior.
Then, Zajac got hurt during an offseason workout. He was going to miss months. It felt like a death blow to the Devils season before it started. The Devils were likely going with Adam Henrique or Pavel Zacha on the first line, then Nico would fill out somewhere else.