Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is finally suiting up for a National Hockey League game. The longest serving Edmonton Oilers player has been missed, and even though the team has been winning, his return will add depth and scoring to the roster.
Nugent-Hopkins is a key part of the Oilers lethal power play, where the puck virtually never dies on his stick. It’s a relatively unsung role, but the results will surely speak for themselves within a game or two.
Nice timing
His teammates are surely going to benefit from his direct presence versus the tough teams they're set to face this week. Nuge plays in every situation, taking faceoffs, lining up on the man advantage, and previously playing a key role on the penalty kill too. The former first overall selection possesses the sort of quiet competence that teams need from their middle six forwards, and he has the ability to keep up with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl when asked to play on the top line as well.
But another advantage the Oilers should see following his return is the positive game of dominos that will occur in the rest of the forward lineup. Nugent-Hopkins taking his spot is going to push a good player down to the third or fourth line. It looks like that will be Colton Dach, skipping over the energy line of Mathieu Joseph, Owen Michaels, and Alex Formenton. Dach may be disappointed in a potential minute reduction, but he should be able to skate at full steam for every second he's on the ice alongside Trent Frederic and Isaac Howard.
Depth scoring is the big puzzle a NHL coach needs to solve in order to find consistent success. Your depth players don't need to produce at a point-per-game pace, but if they're able to chip in a goal or two on the nights that the stars can't get their offense going, that can be the difference between a win and a loss.
It looks like Nuge won't be subjected to penalty killing duties in his first few games back, which should give him a chance to get his NHL legs under him. Lining up with the recently returned Zach Hyman and the speedy Kasperi Kapanen, it's a line that opposing coaches can't ignore. With McDavid and Draisaitl demanding the attention of first pairing defenders, and with the last change as the home team, the Oilers are set up nicely for what should be a great game against the Caroline Hurricanes tonight.
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