- May 21, 2026
- 0
- 0
The Edmonton Oilers are getting set to kick off a new era under new head coach Mike Babcock with their season opener on Tuesday night, but they’ll do it without their longest-tenured player.
Babcock told reporters, including The Nation Network’s Jason Gregor, earlier Tuesday that forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is out for the game after suffering an injury during Monday’s team practice.
The veteran head coach estimated that the No. 1 overall pick from the 2011 NHL Draft could be held out of action for around two weeks.
Nugent-Hopkins is gearing up for his 16th season in the NHL, all with the Oilers. Last year, he bounced back from what was his first season aside from the pandemic-shortened 2021 campaign in which he finished with under 50 points by racking up 56 points on 20 goals and 36 assists across 72 regular season appearances.
The 33-year-old skated in his 1,000th career game last season, and he’s up to 291 goals and 513 assists for 804 career points in 1,031 games played.
The British Columbia native brings plenty of experience and versatility to Edmonton’s forward ranks. His ability to play on any of the first three lines and man the wing or the center gives the Oilers plenty of optionality. Babcock acknowledged Tuesday that Nugent-Hopkins’ absence may force him to split up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the early days of the season.
The injury also impacts the Oilers’ top power play unit, where Nugent-Hopkins’ spot will go to Vasily Podkolzin, at least for the time being.
Edmonton is looking to turn things around after a disappointing 2025-26 season that saw them stumble through the regular season after back-to-back defeats in the Stanley Cup Final. While many assumed the Oilers would flip the switch when the postseason started, that didn’t happen, as the young, upstart Anaheim Ducks were able to score a six-game series win in the first round over the battle-tested Oilers.
Now, with a controversial new coach behind the bench and just two years left on McDavid’s contract, Edmonton starts on a massively crucial 2026-27 season by hosting the Vancouver Canucks at 10:00 PM Eastern Tuesday night.
Continue reading...
Babcock told reporters, including The Nation Network’s Jason Gregor, earlier Tuesday that forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is out for the game after suffering an injury during Monday’s team practice.
The veteran head coach estimated that the No. 1 overall pick from the 2011 NHL Draft could be held out of action for around two weeks.
Nugent-Hopkins is gearing up for his 16th season in the NHL, all with the Oilers. Last year, he bounced back from what was his first season aside from the pandemic-shortened 2021 campaign in which he finished with under 50 points by racking up 56 points on 20 goals and 36 assists across 72 regular season appearances.
The 33-year-old skated in his 1,000th career game last season, and he’s up to 291 goals and 513 assists for 804 career points in 1,031 games played.
The British Columbia native brings plenty of experience and versatility to Edmonton’s forward ranks. His ability to play on any of the first three lines and man the wing or the center gives the Oilers plenty of optionality. Babcock acknowledged Tuesday that Nugent-Hopkins’ absence may force him to split up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the early days of the season.
The injury also impacts the Oilers’ top power play unit, where Nugent-Hopkins’ spot will go to Vasily Podkolzin, at least for the time being.
Edmonton is looking to turn things around after a disappointing 2025-26 season that saw them stumble through the regular season after back-to-back defeats in the Stanley Cup Final. While many assumed the Oilers would flip the switch when the postseason started, that didn’t happen, as the young, upstart Anaheim Ducks were able to score a six-game series win in the first round over the battle-tested Oilers.
Now, with a controversial new coach behind the bench and just two years left on McDavid’s contract, Edmonton starts on a massively crucial 2026-27 season by hosting the Vancouver Canucks at 10:00 PM Eastern Tuesday night.
Continue reading...