Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is hitting the shelf once again. The team is holding him out of Thursday’s game with a “minor concussion.” Coach Todd McLellan noted that he “will continue to be evaluated.”
We don’t often see the label “minor concussion” thrown out there for any kind of head trauma. Minor brain damage is an interesting designation.
Nugent-Hopkins left Tuesday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes after taking a high hit from ‘Yotes defenseman Connor Murphy. While there was some head contact on the hit, Murphy did not have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety.
That was just his sixth game back in the lineup after missing 23 games with a broken finger.
Nugent-Hopkins has 11 goals and 33 points through 52 games this season. That’s a bit of a step back for the 22-year-old, who scored 24 goals and 56 points through 76 games last season.
Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
