Oilers May Be Rethinking Nugent-Hopkins’ Fit in the Lineup

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the longest-serving Edmonton Oilers roster member and one of the most beloved players on the team. There’s no arguing he’s been through ups and downs in his career, never complaining and doing whatever was asked — and quite effectively. However, his play has taken a bit of a dip in recent seasons and the Oilers have been turning over every rock to clear cap space or turn a team that has been to the Cup Final twice into a roster that can get there and finally win.

Allan Mitchell of The Athletic suggests that part of the examination the Oilers might be doing includes evaluating where Nugent-Hopkins fits in the lineup, if at all.

Will Nugent-Hopkins Be Asked To Take On a Lesser Role?

In a recent column, Mitchell raised the possibility that Nugent-Hopkins—now 32 and approaching 1,000 NHL games, all with Edmonton—might no longer be a fixture in the team’s top six. Mitchell points to a sharp dip in Nugent-Hopkins’ five-on-five production as a sign that he may be better suited to a reduced role moving forward, or potentially even traded to free up cap space.

He writes:

“Based on age, cap hit ($5.125 million for the next four years) and performance, he would seem to be a reasonable trade option for a team looking for room under the cap.”

source – ‘Is Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins reaching a career crossroads?’ Allan Mitchell – The Athletic – 07/07/2025

Mitchell notes that last season, Nugent-Hopkins recorded just 1.24 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five, and playing alongside Connor McDavid didn’t seem to help elevate his production. When you factor this in with his $5.125 million cap hit over the next four seasons, Mitchell wondered if Nugent-Hopkins is still providing top-six value.

With younger options coming into the lineup (Isaac Howard, Matt Savoie) and the signing of Andrew Mangiapane, there are hints that the Oilers may already be adjusting. This could potentially bump Nugent-Hopkins into a third-line role. The player might not mind, but are the Oilers better off spending that money elsewhere? Perhaps in goal?

Was Nugent-Hopkins Asked To Waive His No-Trade Clause?

Mitchell also speculates on the possibility that Nugent-Hopkins was—or wasn’t—approached about waiving his no-trade clause this offseason. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Bowman reached out to multiple players with no-trade or no-move protection, including Evander Kane, Darnell Nurse, and Adam Henrique. It’s unclear whether Nugent-Hopkins was among them. If not, why?