Insider: Star Oilers 15-Year NHL Veteran May Be Relegated to Smaller Role

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been a star for the Oilers for years, but now Jason Gregor has revealed a surprise role for the former No. 1 overall pick next season.

While Connor McDavid is the leader and the star for the Edmonton Oilers, he's not the only former No. 1 pick that has thrived for the team in the past decade as they've turned their franchise back into Stanley Cup contenders.

Another piece of the puzzle has been Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has become one of the more underrated players in the National Hockey League, playing a key role in the team's top-six in recent years.

While he's likely never going to hit the 104 points he did back in 2022/23, Nugent-Hopkins is a key piece of this team, but in 2025/26, it appears his role is set to change significantly.

Nugent-Hopkins to shift to the bottom-six?

In a recent episode of the Jason Gregor Show, the veteran reporter made a shock prediction on RNH's future in Edmonton, stating that he believes the veteran will play in the bottom-six next season.

The interesting one, I'm going to say this because I think he's going to be more of a third-line center,' Gregor said. 'I think Ryan Nugent Hopkins will be (getting) more minutes in your bottom six than in your top six. Now he's obviously gonna play the power plays, gonna play a ton of the penalty kill, so his minutes will still be fine, but I'm just talking five on five.

I think by the end of the year, he will be more of a third-line center on the team. I could be wrong, but that's my little spotty sense thing.

While it appears to be a demotion, with the team adding wingers this off-season and lacking a centre beyond their two biggest stars, moving RNH to the third line makes perfect sense for a team needing depth down the middle.

Ultimately though, with so much youth coming into the team and many changes, there's likely to be more changes to the lineup as the year goes on, and while RNH may play on the third line, there's a chance that when the season rolls on, he could be shifted up and down the lineup.