The Edmonton Oilers are going to be without forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for a bit longer. He has been out of the lineup since Nov. 10 when he was placed on the injury reserve.
Related: Oilers’ Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Placed on Injured Reserve
Nugent-Hopkins has been a big impact player for the Oilers, so the loss of him is going to hurt. At this time, he is expected to skate on Monday after the team returns home from their road trip. He has already missed the last five games and will at minimum be out three more. That would mean that the earliest he could return is Nov. 25 against the Dallas Stars, however, it seems like he could be out longer than that.
Nugent-Hopkins is a Huge Loss for Edmonton
It is no secret just how good Nugent-Hopkins has been for the Oilers. He has five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in 16 games. Unfortunately, that also includes a minus-11 rating, but that is not only on him. The Oilers have struggled a bit early this season and that has impacted just about everyone on the team’s plus minus rating.
According to Oilers reporter Jason Gregor, he revealed that at this time, there really is no timeline for Nugent-Hopkins’ return. Here is what he had to say:
“Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will not join the team on the road trip. He is expected to practice with the team when they return next Monday. Oilers host Dallas [Stars] next Tuesday, then don’t play again until Saturday (29th) in Seattle [Kraken}. With only one practice and one game in five days, return on 29th seems most likely.”
The injury to Nugent-Hopkins has been one that has definitely impacted the entire lineup. No, he is not Connor McDavid, but he does provide a bit more stability down the middle. As a result, that shifts Jack Roslovic from center to the wing and makes their lineup significantly deeper. Over his career with the Oilers, he has played in 975 games and scored 276 goals and 488 assists for 764 points. He is coming off a season where he scored 49 points in 78 games. His career high came back in 2022-23 when he scored 104 points in 82 games.
