NEWARK -- Up until about an hour before Nico Hischier became the face of the Devils franchise, general manager Ray Shero didn't tell a soul who he'd be taking with the No. 1 pick.

When word got around the organization it would be the baby-faced 18-year-old out of Switzerland, coach John Hynes and his staff naturally started playing around with line combinations.

The most attractive option is to put the flashy center with star left-winger Taylor Hall and hope the goals pour in, reminiscent of the days of former Devils Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk and the A-Line of the early 2000s.

Hischier and Hall play a similar style of hockey: They push the pace offensively and love to have the puck on their sticks, making them an intriguing pair.

But at least for training camp and the preseason, Hynes' top priority is to make sure Hischier has a calming presence by his side.

"That's a real important thing for a young guy, when you come back to the bench after a shift that you're with someone that has presence, that's been there before," Hynes said at Hischier's introductory press conference Monday.

No player might be better suited for that role than Hall, a former No. 1 pick himself, whose draft year was eerily similar to Hischier's.

"Taylor's a big part of our team and he's a guy that we're looking to take hold of the team more off the ice and that's something that I know Taylor is planning on doing and will do," Hynes said, adding that the Hall and Hischier have already connected over the phone.

The Nolan vs. Nico debate was the sequel to Taylor vs. Tyler, referring to Hall and electrifying center Tyler Seguin, who seemed to be flip-flopped on everyone's boards leading up to the 2010 draft.

Edmonton ultimately went with Hall, who was traded to New Jersey last summer as part of a one-for-one blockbuster with defenseman Adam Larsson.

Of course, Hynes can elect to put Hischier at wing for a little bit while he transitions to the NHL, similar to what the Devils did for spurts last season with 2015 first-rounder Pavel Zacha.

Whatever combination he goes with, Hynes is just eager to get his players back on the ice.

"It's been a long summer so far, we're kind of ready to get back at it," he said. "We'll use the rest of the summer to strategize a little bit more and make sure we're ready to go in September."

Mark Fischer may be reached at mfischer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @nhlfisch21. Find NJ.com on Facebook.