The New Jersey Devils had a very hard decision to make in 2017, with Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier standing out as the two top picks in that year’s NHL Draft. Obviously, the Devils made the right choice between the two (although the choice between Cale Makar, Miro Heiskanen, and Elias Pettersson is much more debatable), but now they have a unique opportunity to bring Hischier and Patrick together.
Obviously, Patrick has had a terrible career. He’s faced injury issues, inconsistent offensive production, and he’s been traded multiple times already. Now, he’s facing free agency after the Vegas Golden Knights avoided his qualifying offer.