Edmonton Oilers F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was selected to his first All-Star game earlier this month, and while it seems like a small detail, it’s a pretty damn big deal. RNH has been in the shadow of Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle since coming to Edmonton, but has actually been Edmonton’s most important player.
Yes, Hall is Edmonton’s best player, but RNH might be the most important piece to this puzzle in Edmonton. He’s a center with absurd skill, an ability to score points, and he plays a killer two-way game. His defensive ability has been really good throughout his career, but has taken a big step forward this year.
Offensively, the Nuge puts up points, but doesn’t just do it on the power-play. In fact, this season he has struggled on the power-play, as has the rest of his team. The Oilers, as a whole, haven’t figured out the power-play, and stats of many players have suffered as a result.
RNH is doing his damage at even strength, five-on-five. That’s extremely impressive if you ask me. Nuge has 23 points at even strength this season, including 12 goals. That’s a really good number, especially for a center of his age in this very tough western conference. He’s not exactly facing the soft parade either.
While he only has 29 points in 45 games to this point, RNH is on pace to hit 50 points yet again. On top of that, this is coming with minimal power-play production, as mentioned above. His scoring stats are impressive all things considered, and will only get better as he keeps developing and the power-play wakes up in Edmonton.
Nuge has seen his face-off percentage rise up this season too, going from 42.4% last year to 47.2% this year. It’s not elite, but it’s a huge improvement and shows that the Nuge is stepping up in a huge area.
The Nuge is also firing off some pretty good advanced stats, hovering in the range just above 50% in terms of Corsi, which is pretty good for a guy on a team currently sitting in the basement of the NHL.
This season, there is no doubt that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has taken a massive step forward, and has joined the ranks of solid NHL centers who can be relied on. He’s been Edmonton’s best player, and has emerged as a solid top-six center who not only puts up points, but also plays a really strong defensive game.
He’s got room to grow as well, and is looking like a certain star for Edmonton. It’s been a really rough season, but the development of RNH gives hope for a better tomorrow with the Oilers.
The All-Star game is a gimmick, I get that, but it’s nice to see RNH as a selection right off the bat for the game. He’s been Edmonton’s best forward and totally deserves this honor. It’s about time the Nuge gets recognized around the NHL, and that is why this All-Star appearance is so important.
Give’em hell lil’ Nuge!
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