Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, B
This season has been a tough one on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The centerman is poorly underrated and underestimated, and while many would claim he does nothing and while many want to trade him, he is truly an asset for this team.
Sure, he’s not scoring every single game, and he has three points in his last five games, which include just one goal. However, he has eight goals and 15 assists so far this season, and he is on pace for 55 points. If that’s not scoring and hard work going under the radar, I don’t know what is. He goes through hard times, but he always triumphs through, as he proves himself worthy of a roster spot.
His face-off percentage is about 45 percent, which is not the worst, but at the same time, means he is losing over half of the faceoffs that he takes. That is not a statistic that you want to see, especially from a first-overall center like Nuge, but hey, it’s something.
He’s a great, hardworking player whose work often goes unrecognized and unnoticed. He is a key asset and with the right coaching that he has been getting this season, he can be a real force for the Oilers in the long run. It is important to realize that all star players go through difficult times when trying to score. Look at Ovechkin in 2010-11. That was a dreadful season for the Capitals, yet the captain still managed to net 32 goals that season. Did he win the Rocket Richard? No, but he did a decent job scoring otherwise.
This is just like Nuge. Every star has his troubles, and right now, it’s a tough time for Nuge. But with better numbers and a great point total for this season, his performance gets pushed up to a B grade.