Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the most underrated player on the Edmonton Oilers. He doesn’t put up 100 points like McDavid or Draisaitl but he is so good in all areas of the ice. He is the guy that they use in all situations of a game. He can play wing with one of the two superstars but he can also be one of the best third line centers in the league. He was the number one overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft and has been a good player ever since.
Think of a poor man’s Jonathan Toews or Patrice Bergeron when judging Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He will be the center that sees a lot of whichever line Patrick Kane is on as far as matchups. Kane is Chicago’s best offensive player and Nugent-Hopkins gets all of those tough matchups. Edmonton will have tremendous depth if they put him as the third line center but they will also have two amazing scoring lines if they use him as a wing.
Without being the flashy player on the team, he is still also able to score. As mentioned before, he isn’t as prolific as the other two stars but he did have 22 goals and 39 assists for 61 points in 65 games. That is a 76 point pace which are amazing numbers for a guy who will be third in team scoring. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is definitely a player worth studying if you are on the other side as he is truly a great player.