Last year, I wrote about Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick taking over the Philadelphia Flyers-New Jersey Devils rivalry. It made sense. The two players went one-two in the NHL Draft. Patrick was the guy everyone loved all season, but injuries and below-his-expectations play caused the Devils to pick Nico over him. It seemed like this would be a rivalry that would bring out the best in both players.
While that may be true eventually, it’s not starting out that way. Nico and Nolan seem to be friendly with each other. Patrick played four games against the Devils last season, and scored zero points while Hischier scored four against his foes.