Ryan Nugent-Hopkins missed the Edmonton Oilers’ first nine games with a lower-body injury occurred at practice the day before the season opener
He made the return worth it.
A goal, an assist, and the deciding shootout marker later, Edmonton’s longest-serving player had put his fingerprints all over a 6–5 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. On a night when Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each collected five points, there was still room for No. 93 to deliver the final offensive contribution.
Devon Levi kept Carolina off the board in the shootout. Nuge supplied a reminder of how much Edmonton gets back when he steps into the lineup.
His return adds another scoring option, another player who can move around the top six, and another experienced hand on a roster that has undergone plenty of change.
For now, though, there was a game to win. Nugent-Hopkins helped make sure Edmonton did.
Back in the lineup, back on the board
Carolina did not provide much opportunity for a quiet first night back.
Nugent-Hopkins scored on the power play in the second period, answering Sebastian Aho’s go-ahead goal and bringing Edmonton level at 2–2. The Hurricanes subsequently built a two-goal lead before the Oilers pulled themselves back into the game in the third.
His return also brought Edmonton’s familiar top power play unit together for the first time this season.
The reunion produced three power play goals. Nugent-Hopkins contributed to two, adding an assist on Draisaitl’s third-period goal to tie the game at 4–4.
There was some rust to work through, even if his offensive contributions arrived quickly.
“I think there were some mental errors I made, just little details in my game that I think, as the third period kind of came around, I started to clean up a little bit,” Nugent-Hopkins said afterward.
His approach was straightforward: move his feet, compete and avoid overthinking. As the game progressed, he felt more comfortable.
Mike Babcock noticed the difference.
“To tell you the truth, I thought Nuge in the second half of the game was a star,” the coach said.
Babcock repeatedly asked whether Nugent-Hopkins could go again. His first game back had quickly become one in which Edmonton needed to keep calling his number.
One more contribution
When regulation and overtime could not settle things, Nugent-Hopkins had another opportunity to make his return count.
Shooting third gave him a chance to watch how Carolina goaltender Brandon Bussi handled Edmonton’s first two attempts. He went in with an idea, but left himself room to adjust.
“But once you get down there, you gotta make a read for sure,” he said.
Bussi’s right-handed catching glove gave him something else to consider. Nugent-Hopkins found a way through, scoring the shootout’s only goal before before Seth Jarvis sent Carolina’s final attempt wide.
A goal, an assist, and the deciding attempt. There were still details he wanted to improve, but his season debut ended with Edmonton collecting the extra point.
Another option down the middle
Nugent-Hopkins returned at second-line centre, with Hyman and Kasperi Kapanen on his wings.
His availability gives Edmonton more freedom in how it arranges its forwards. With McDavid and Draisaitl together, the Oilers need another line capable of creating offence and giving opponents something else to manage.
Nugent-Hopkins has an opportunity to help provide that.
It will take more games to assess how the line performs at even strength. His power play contributions and shootout winner made an immediate difference on Thursday, but finding chemistry with his wingers is another part of his return that is still taking shape.
Draisaitl’s assessment afterward captured why having him back means so much beyond the points.
“What a smart hockey player. Just so good in every situation,” he said.
He pointed to Nugent-Hopkins’ ability to make the right play on the power play, along with his five-on-five game and penalty killing when called upon.
“I mean, you’re never going to replace a player like that.”
Centre or wing, the job keeps evolving
Moving between positions has become a recurring part of Nugent-Hopkins’ career.
Earlier in his career, he centred Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. He spent the final 13 games of the 2017–18 season on McDavid’s left wing, recording 15 points. It was an early indication of what their partnership could produce, and one Edmonton would return to as the lineup changed.
Playing alongside McDavid brings opportunities, but finding the right fit has taken some experimenting over the years. Nugent-Hopkins has become a familiar option, with the skill to finish chances and the awareness to help create them.
He has also found success alongside Draisaitl. In 2020, Nugent-Hopkins, Draisaitl and Kailer Yamamoto formed the “Dynamite Line,” giving Edmonton a dangerous offensive combination with Nuge on the left wing.
Some notable combinations have included:
- With McDavid at centre: Ty Rattie, Zack Kassian, Jesse Puljujärvi, and Zach Hyman on the opposite wing.
- With Draisaitl at centre: Kailer Yamamoto, Evander Kane, and Warren Foegele on the opposite wing.
Those assignments have asked different things of him. Playing beside an elite centre creates opportunities to support the attack from the wing. Playing centre places more responsibility on him down low in the defensive zone and through the transition game.
Nugent-Hopkins has said he is accustomed to both positions, while remaining more comfortable at centre.
That flexibility should continue to matter as he moves through his 30s. Edmonton can adjust his assignment based on its personnel, injuries, and the combinations that develop over the season.
For now, he is back down the middle with Hyman and Kapanen. His experience on the wing gives Edmonton another option, but establishing a dependable second line would give the Oilers more freedom to keep McDavid and Draisaitl together.
A familiar face in a changing room
Nugent-Hopkins arrived in Edmonton when Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle were central figures in the team’s future. He has stayed through departures, rebuilds and the arrival of a different generation of stars.
Thursday marked Nugent-Hopkins’ first appearance in his 16th season with Edmonton, setting the franchise record for most seasons played with the Oilers. At 33, he is still being asked to fill an important place in the lineup.
Another milestone is approaching: his return brought him to 1,032 regular-season games, five short of Kevin Lowe’s 1,037, and six from sole possession of Edmonton’s record.
There is even a familiar thread connecting Thursday to his earliest days.
On Feb. 4, 2012, Nugent-Hopkins returned from a shoulder injury that had cost him 13 games and scored the shootout winner against Detroit. He was an 18-year-old rookie then, surrounded by a very different Oilers roster.
Nearly 15 years later, another return ended with another deciding shootout goal.
The teammates have changed. So have his responsibilities. But after nine games spent watching, Nugent-Hopkins was finally back, contributing to a team he had already seen find ways to battle back.
Thursday, he got to help finish the job.
“Fun to be a part of and just definitely glad to be back out there,” he said.
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