Hischier responds after cross-checking Barkov in the knee.

The former first overall pick at the 2017 National Hockey League Entry Draft has suddenly found himself at the center of controversy.

On Saturday night, Nico Hischier and the New Jersey Devils clashed against the Florida Panthers and of all things it would be a faceoff during the game that would cause all of the drama.

The aforementioned Hischier was taking a faceoff against Florida Panthers' captain Aleksander Barkov, one that seemed like a totally routine draw, when the Panthers centerman suddenly collapsed to the ice in pain.

Upon watching the slow motion replay we could see that Barkov had been on the receiving end of a painful looking crosscheck to the knee on the draw, one that came courtesy of Hischier. It is unclear if Hischier delivered the blow intentionally or if he was merely falling off balance, but either way it would cause Barkov to leave the game and not return.

Many angry Panthers fans have been quick to call on NHL Player Safety to step in here and suspend Hischier for his actions:

Hischier however has denied any ill intent and made that crystal clear when he spoke to reporters following the game.

"That was a huge draw. I take pride in my draws and obviously I didn’t do it on purpose," said Hischier following the game. "I didn’t even see it until the second period. I definitely hit his knee but it was not something I wanted to do or a dirty play.”

Hischier claimed it was merely a bit of bad fortune that the play turned out the way it did.

"It was definitely unlucky and I hope he’s not hurt too bad," said Hischier.

It's going to be very interesting to see how the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety weighs in on this one given that it is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to judge intent based on the video evidence alone. Both players involved here are star level players and Hischier has no history of being a dirty player with only a total of 85 penalty minutes to his name over his 6 seasons in the NHL so far.