Insider claims Ryan Nugent-Hopkins may suffer the same fate as Jeff Skinner
Photo credit: NHL
The Edmonton Oilers are starting to get into a groove, but Daily Faceoff's Paul Pidutti reports that the Edmonton Oilers may be forced to react Ryan Nugent-Hopkins downward trend.
The Edmonton Oilers are currently riding a hot-streak, winning 6 of their last 7 games.
With that being said, there are certain members of the Oilers roster who have taken a back seat in the team's recent success, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has emerged under the proverbial microscope.
Paul Pidutti of Daily Faceoff has placed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on a troubling list of players whose production is sharply declining due to factors beyond their control.
According to Pidutti, "Father Time" is main reason for the demise of many NHL veterans, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins near the top of the list, with his production significantly dropping compared to previous years.
Pidutti writes of Nugent-Hopkins' future in the NHL:
He's on the wrong side of 30 and struggling in his minutes away from McDavid. Father Time assigns three months probation to get his game in order quickly - or face the same sentencing guidelines as teammate Jeff Skinner.
-Paul Pidutti
-Paul Pidutti
Essentially, the argument is that if Nugent-Hopkins can't find a way to produce and start upping his game, he could face the same fate as Skinner - who can't seem to get a solid look by head coach Kris Knoblauch and despite his history of offense on the power play and in other key situations, he won't see the ice in those situations to make the most of them.
-Jim Parsons - NHL Trade Talk
-Jim Parsons - NHL Trade Talk
Some Oilers enthusiasts might be surprised that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is currently in the hot-seat, but he's held to a higher standard than most, especially playing on a line with Connor McDavid.
Other than his 104-point anomaly campaign in 2022-23, he has yet to reach 70 points in a single season. He registered 67 points last season, but only 38 at even strength.
According to insiders, if RNH fails to get going, he could potentially lose his top 6 role on the Oilers roster.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 11 | 191 ANSWERS Insider claims Ryan Nugent-Hopkins may suffer the same fate as Jeff Skinner Do you think Ryan Nugent Hopkins is having a poor start to the year? | ||
| Yes | 122 | 63.9 % |
| No | 69 | 36.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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