BLOG: Nugent-Hopkins' production from versatile role proving valuable for the Oilers

EDMONTON, AB – One thing that hasn’t changed about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (other than his appearance, demeanour and consistency) is that you can always rely on the longest-tenured Oiler to show you where standard lies within the dressing room.

There's nothing 'Nuge' about that.

“Nuge is one of the only people I think I’ve met that hasn't changed,” longtime teammate Darnell Nurse said on Monday afternoon. “He's the same, looks the same, sounds the same, carries himself the same, and he's just such a mild-mannered, nice, genuine and great teammate, but a competitor on the ice, too.

“I think that's what sometimes gets lost is just how fierce he is once he gets out there and straps on those pads, and how much he wants to win each and every night. I can only speak for myself, but coming in here, he set a great example for me as a young guy and continues to set that example for our team each and every day.”

Nurse’s description of Nugent-Hopkins’ presence as a leader and a competitor accurately sums up the added importance that No. 93 is currently taking on for the Oilers without Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl available because of injuries, with the two superstars set to be out for at least a couple of more games according to Head Coach Kris Knoblauch following Monday's skate at Rogers Place.

In Edmonton’s first game without the Dynamic Duo in the lineup since McDavid entered the League in 2015-16, Nugent-Hopkins led the charge against Seattle in a 5-4 victory on Saturday with his fourth career hat-trick, finding the scoresheet three times for the first time since Mar. 26, 2019.

His first came at even strength just after an Edmonton penalty had expired, the second arrived on the power play, and the other to complete the hat trick? It came shorthanded in the final three minutes of regulation, while he was on the ice helping defend a one-goal lead with the Kraken playing six-on-four.

That pretty much sums up everything you need to know about the man known in the locker room as 'Nuggy' or 'Nuge', who continues to be huge for this team as he tracks toward becoming the all-time leader in games played for the Oilers near the tail end of the 2026-27 campaign, needing 22 more regular-season games to pass Ryan Smyth and 88 more contests to surpass Kevin Lowe for the franchise lead.

Nugent-Hopkins currently has nine points (four goals) over his last four contests, including two shorthanded goals and one on the power play, while spending his even-strength time at centre on a line with Viktor Arvidsson and Vasily Podkolzin – two forwards who’ve no doubt benefitted from his experience and expertise while playing on his wings.

Part of that success has come from his move back to centre, going from the left wing of the top line next to Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman – which was one of the best lines in the NHL last season – to garnering more puck touches and having more influence down the middle on the third line with Podkolzin and Arvidsson that's playing like their top line with no 29 or 97 for the Oilers.

"I think he can play both, and right now, he's playing his best hockey playing centre," Knoblauch said. "I don't necessarily think that he has to play centre to be playing his best. I think it's just the timing is what it is.

"Right now, it's easier to get out of a funk or find your game because of the rhythm of the game and the way he plays. You just touch the puck more, you're able to make more plays, you're on the move, and it's just a better situation that he's been making the most of. Also, the two wingers that he's got right now are playing probably their best hockey, so collectively, those three we've been very happy with."

After reaching 100 points during the 2022-23 season, having never surpassed 70 over his 14-year NHL career spent entirely in Edmonton, Nugent-Hopkins has said that he hasn't produced as much as he'd like at times this season, but he’s heating up at the right time for the Oilers right now when they need him the most while he continues to play his pivotal all-situations role for the team.

“Ryan's playing his best hockey of the year right now,” Knoblauch said. “He’s got a lot more confidence being in the middle of the ice making plays, but he's primarily been a first-line left winger, first power-play unit, and the first penalty killer over the boards.

“Whether we're down a goal, up a goal, we rely on him quite a bit, and Leon joked last year about him being the coach's favorite, but we certainly appreciate everything that Ryan does for the team.”

Part of that recent success has come from sticking to the same thing that’s made him successful in the past – except now, he’s seeing results.

“I guess lately, it's been going in a little bit more,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “Obviously, I’m trying to bear down, but trying to keep the same mentality.”

“There are times where you think you're playing well and you're trying to do the right things and the team's having success, so those are all what you're looking for and eventually, you stick with it. We talk about that as a team, and it goes the same individually. You stick with it and do the right things long enough and eventually, it turns for the good.”

Nugent-Hopkins says he’s lucky that even when the offence isn’t coming at even strength that he’s able to impact the game in different areas, like on the power play and penalty kill to help get his all-around game going.

“I can touch the game in different aspects and get out there on the kill or on the power play, and I can try to impact the game in a positive way whether defensively or just being steady out there,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “So you can definitely focus on other aspects and dial in the little things, but I think usually when you kind of focus on that and not worry about the results and just kind of stay process-based, that's when things start to turn.”

McDavid and Draisaitl are expected to miss all three games this week for the Oilers due to their respective injuries, so the importance of Nugent-Hopkins toward continuing their push for first place in the Pacific Division becomes even more paramount.

The job of making up for the lack of their two superstars will have to be shared throughout the whole lineup, but just as they look to Nugent-Hopkins for leadership, his all-around contributions will have a big role to play in keeping this thing rolling without two of the League's most-offensive players.

“I think everybody feels it,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “It's a chance for everybody to kind of step up and play their game and maybe for certain guys play a little bit of a different role. But obviously, you lose two of the best players in the game and we need to step up and make sure that we're sharp. I think the way that we've been playing lately is starting to get to the way that we want to play come playoff time – making it tough to play against us, not giving anything easy to the other team, and building our offence from playing solid defensively.”