Oilers place Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on injured reserve; Hyman out two weeks
Posted October 1, 2026 10:24 am.
Last Updated October 1, 2026 4:32 pm.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins seems no closer to making his season debut.
The Edmonton Oilers placed the veteran centre on injured reserve Monday after he sat out Tuesday’s season opener against the Vancouver Canucks.
Josh Samanski has been recalled from AHL Bakersfield under emergency conditions, the Oilers announced. Nugent-Hopkins was initially listed as day-to-day.
The 33-year-old is entering his 16th season with the Oilers after being selected by the team first overall at the 2011 NHL draft.
The forward from Burnaby, B.C., had 20 goals last year — hitting that mark for the seventh time in his career — while adding 36 assists over 72 games. He has 804 points (291 goals, 513 assists) over 1,031 regular-season games with Edmonton.
Nugent-Hopkins is expected to centre Edmonton’s second line this season, and his absence may force new coach Mike Babcock to play superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at centre on separate lines in a rematch against the Canucks.
Samanski, 24, played 24 games last season with the Oilers and registered two goals and four points.
Edmonton also announced that forward Matt Savoie and defenceman Alex Regula have been placed on long-term injured reserve to begin the season.
Meanwhile winger Zach Hyman is set to miss approximately two weeks with an upper-body injury, head coach Mike Babcock told reporters ahead of Thursday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.
According to Michaels, Hyman suffered the injury in the Oilers’ pre-season finale against the Calgary Flames. He did not travel with the team to Vancouver.
Hyman played in the Oilers’ opening-night showdown against the Canucks — a 6-5 overtime loss — but failed to record a point in his 20:33 of ice time. He had three shots on goal and two hits.
The 34-year-old missed time with injuries over the course of last season, suiting up for only 58 regular-season games and tallying 31 goals and 21 assists.
The Toronto native also endured a trying year in the 2024-25 season. Though he missed only nine games, his scoring totals dropped, finishing with only 27 goals and 17 assists.
Edmonton is looking to get back into the win column after a high-scoring home game against the Canucks on opening night. The Oilers fell behind 5-2 in the third period, but managed to rally back before eventually losing in overtime.
— With files from The Canadian Press
