As the offseason rolls on, so do the Edmonton Oilers’ player grades. The last report card graded Vasily Podkolzin, and next up is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The 32-year-old recorded 20 goals and 49 points in 78 games last season, with a plus-4 rating. He finished fourth on the team in goals, behind Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Connor McDavid.
He’s a versatile player and plays in all situations. The veteran forward is on the top power-play unit and is an important penalty killer. The Burnaby, British Columbia native played 134:52 on the penalty kill, first among forwards, and another 243:03 on the man advantage. Out of his 49 points, only 21 came at 5-on-5, with 20 coming on the power play. He wasn’t as productive at 5-on-5 as we expected, especially playing the majority of the season with No. 97.
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His versatility allows him to move up and down the lineup. He can play left wing alongside McDavid, or he can be the third-line centre and provide an offensive boost to the bottom six, while providing incredible centre depth with McDavid, Draisaitl, and Nugent-Hopkins up the middle. He’s a defensively responsible, two-way centre with a high hockey IQ. The long-time Oiler isn’t flashy, but he doesn’t need to be. He makes smart decisions with the puck, and he’s a valuable piece to this forward group.
Nugent-Hopkins Overall Grade
The 2011 first-overall selection was average in the regular season. He wasn’t bad, but he had higher expectations. Therefore, a C+ grade is fair. His point total was significantly down from the two seasons prior, when he had 104 points in 2022-23 and 67 points in 2023-24, despite getting the same opportunities and consistent ice time. This was his lowest average ice time since 2017-18, at 18:58, but he has still been within 17 to 20 minutes throughout his whole career, so the drop-off wasn’t significant. The Oilers need more production from him, especially if he continues getting top-line minutes with McDavid, and is on the top power-play unit.
Nugent-Hopkins was much better during the playoffs. He recorded six goals and 20 points in 22 games with a plus-4 rating, averaging 19:35 per game. His only two points of the Stanley Cup Final came in Game 4 in their thrilling 5-4 comeback overtime victory, in which he recorded one goal and an assist. However, he was fantastic in the Western Conference Final, recording two goals and nine points in those five games, including four consecutive multipoint games. He also had a seven-game point streak during the first two rounds, with two multipoint games during that stretch.
When Nugent-Hopkins got hot, he was outstanding for large stretches, but when he wasn’t, he was unproductive. Despite his 20 points in 22 games, he went 10 games without recording a point, including four straight, with three of those four occurring in the Stanley Cup Final. He was still an important piece during the playoff run and had outstanding moments. Therefore, he gets an A- for his playoff performance, but that grade could’ve been higher if he were more consistent offensively. He was still nearly a point-per-game, and that should be recognized.
Overall, Nugent-Hopkins had an up-and-down campaign. He remained relatively healthy, only missing four games between the regular season and playoffs combined. However, the Oilers’ captain confirmed that Nugent-Hopkins was playing with a broken hand down the stretch, which explained his struggles in the Stanley Cup Final. He gutted it out and still had a solid season, which we are accustomed to seeing from him. Therefore, he deserves a B for his play this season. He was good, but not great, and still has more to give. He needs to be better in 2025-26.
Do you agree with this report card? What would you grade Nugent-Hopkins for his performance last season? Keep following The Hockey Writers as we continue the Oilers’ player report cards throughout the offseason. There are only two players left to evaluate.
