Last season, the Edmonton Oilers put an end to a decade of darkness, finally qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since they made a run to the Stanley Cup final in 2006. And with their run to the second round came heightened expectations for 2017-18. At the same time, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins felt more pressure fall on his shoulders.
The 24-year-old centre is the last remaining member of the Oilers’ former core following the departures of Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle and has struggled to put up impressive numbers due to inconsistency and constant injury struggles.
So, after seeing his fellow former first-round picks shipped out, the message was clear: he had to prove his worth to the organization and show that he can still be a key contributor and top-6 centre, especially with the rise of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Or he and his $6 million AAV would be sent elsewhere.
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While this season hasn’t gone as planned for the Oilers, who entered the year as Stanley Cup favourites but now sit eight points out of a wild-card spot, Nugent-Hopkins has been one of the better storylines to follow. Through 40 games, he’s racked up 15 goals and 29 points and is on pace to record a career-high 31 goals and 60 points.
“It didn’t quite go for him the way he wanted it to last year, but this year, things are happening for him,” McLellan told The Edmonton Sun of Nugent-Hopkins’ performance so far. “He’s consistently doing it right at both ends of the rink and he’s getting rewarded with offence. I’m proud of him, happy for him. I hope it can continue as well.”
Nugent-Hopkins by the numbers
Looking at his on-ice performance, it’s easy to see that Nugent-Hopkins shows a lot of improvement this season. He’s playing with more speed and risk in his game, and stays with the puck and does more to create plays and scoring chances, rather than simply dumping the puck into the zone.
Nugent-Hopkins averages 2.07 points per 60 minutes and is also winning nearly half his faceoffs, as well as 53 percent of his draws taken in the offensive zone.
“Getting over 50 percent has been a big goal of mine,” Nugent-Hopkins said recently. “It’s something that I’ve needed to improve on for years. Just have to keep working on it.”
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Although he is primarily known as a solid two-way centre, considering his poise and care with the puck, he’s taken to putting more emphasis on the forecheck this year and is looking to shooting the puck more often. He has 98 shots on goal, and he’s also making each shot count, evidenced by his career-high 15.3 shooting percentage.
On the defensive side of his game, the 6-foot, 191-pounder continues to thrive. Not only does he take good care of the puck and display great patience and poise, but he limits mistakes He also continues to evolve into a more physical player, as shown by his 35 hits on the season and the fact that he no longer shies away from throwing his weight around or engaging in battles for the puck, which also highlights added risk to his game.
RNH Here to Stay
While the Oilers show a decided dip offensively this season, averaging just 2.9 goals per game and only seeing success 16 percent of the time on the power play, Nugent-Hopkins has been a solid producer and consistent performer. He leads the team in goals (15), power play goals (4) and is third in scoring (29 points).
If the team falls completely out of playoff contention, the contract of Nugent-Hopkins may prove too costly to keep, and he could bring an impressive return if dealt by the trade deadline.
That said, the Oilers are likely hard-pressed to trade their most consistent players this season.