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Connor McDavid Reveals the Horrible Injury Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Suffered

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Tom Banks | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 2:36 PM ET

After the Stanley Cup Finals every year, it's revealed what brutal injuries players suffered in the playoffs, and now we know what a top Oiler was dealing with.

The Edmonton Oilers battled throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and while they fell short at the final hurdle, it's safe to say that they should be proud of their efforts throughout the post-season.

Unfortunately, they too were banged up when it mattered most, and that may have cost them as their depth pieces simply couldn't get it done against a loaded Florida Panthers team that has now won back-to-back Stanley Cups.

After the series, Connor McDavid is now fronting the media, and while there's been plenty of speculation about his future, he looked back on that series with disappointment, revealing that one of the teams key players went through a brutal injury at the worst time of year.

According to McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins played through the Stanley Cup Finals with a broken hand, and while it's not exactly known when the injury occurred, for him to play through it as well as he did shows just how tough he is and how much this series meant to this core group.

In 22 games in the post-season, Nugent-Hopkins tallied 6 goals and 20 points, showing that he's still one of the most important members of this team, and if it wasn't for this injury and Zach Hyman missing key time late in the post-season, they could have been a genuine threat to these Panthers.

Ultimately though, the team will now head into the off-season looking to regroup after a tough finish, and if they can improve and get healthy for 2025/26, it's safe to say that they should be going deep in the Stanley Cup Playoffs again.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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