As Ryan Nugent-Hopkins enters his 16th training camp as an Edmonton Oiler, he does so with another new coach, the 11th of his career.

Throughout his time with the Oilers, Nugent-Hopkins has been asked to do just about everything. He’s played centre and wing, moved up and down the lineup, contributed on both special teams, and seemingly filled whatever role Edmonton needed at the time.

Teammates often call him a coach’s favourite because of his versatility, which makes it interesting to see how Mike Babcock uses him this season. While his ability to play virtually anywhere in the lineup gives the Oilers plenty of options, it also raises an interesting question heading into the season: where does Nuge fit best?

The most familiar option for Nugent-Hopkins would be to keep him on Connor McDavid’s left wing, a combination the Oilers have had plenty of success with over the years.

Looking at a three-year sample from 2022-23 through 2024-25, the McDavid-Nuge combination was dominant at five-on-five, playing just under 1,300 minutes together. According to Natural Stat Trick, they controlled 61.7 per cent of the expected goals and 63.8 per cent of the high-danger chances, while outscoring opponents 78-56. Over this span, McDavid’s numbers dipped slightly without Nugent-Hopkins on his line.

That said, 2025-26 didn’t produce the same results. The duo’s expected-goal share at five-on-five dropped to 54.9 per cent, and the Oilers had just a plus-one goal differential with them on the ice. And unlike years past, McDavid’s five-on-five numbers were actually better away from Nugent-Hopkins than with him. Still, after years of dominance together, it’s fair to wonder whether last season was simply a down year rather than evidence that the combination no longer works.

Playing alongside McDavid may still be the best way to get the most out of Nugent-Hopkins, but Babcock has to figure out whether it’s also the best way to get the most out of McDavid. The problem is that there may not be an obvious alternative. With Savoie sidelined and Howard still unproven at the NHL level, the Oilers don’t exactly have an abundance of established top-six wingers pushing Nugent-Hopkins out of that spot.

Of all the ways the Oilers could deploy Nugent-Hopkins this season, using him as their second-line centre, as they had him at during day one of training camp, may be the least appealing.

While there’s plenty to like about 97 and 29 playing together at five-on-five, doing so creates a significant hole down the middle if Nugent-Hopkins is the answer at second-line centre. And that’s exactly where he found himself during captain’s skates, centring a line with Isaac Howard and Zach Hyman.

While he’s spent plenty of time down the middle throughout his career, I’ve never viewed him as someone who can consistently drive his own line. The numbers provide some support for that concern.

Last season, with Nuge on the ice away from McDavid and Draisaitl, Edmonton was outscored 17-10 and controlled only 45.8 per cent of the expected goals. But that wasn’t just a one-off.

According to Natural Stat Trick, since the 2016-17 season, the Oilers have been outscored at five-on-five in every season with Nugent-Hopkins on the ice without either superstar, with the lone exception of 2022-23. Furthermore, over the last 10 seasons, the Oilers have controlled just 47.7 per cent of the expected goals in more than 5,100 five-on-five minutes with Nugent-Hopkins on the ice without McDavid or Draisaitl. For much of that time, he’s been tasked with centring the second line.

There are certainly variables, such as his linemates and matchups, but with that much data, it’s difficult to argue that he’s consistently been able to drive his own line.

That’s not to say Nugent-Hopkins can’t play centre, but there’s a difference between being capable of playing the position and being the second-line centre on a Cup-contending team. If Babcock wants to keep McDavid and Draisaitl together, I’d rather see the Oilers address that hole externally.

At this stage of his career, Nugent-Hopkins’ best fit may actually be on the third line.

That isn’t necessarily a criticism of the player he’s become, as he can still provide plenty of value. Nuge remains an important part of Edmonton’s power play, where 29 of his 56 points came last season, while also contributing on the penalty kill. While last season could have been just a down year, at 33, it’s fair to wonder whether his five-on-five struggles are here to stay.

Moving him to the third-line wing alongside Jason Dickinson would allow Edmonton to create a responsible, experienced line capable of handling difficult matchups while providing offensive upside. He would still maintain a major role on special teams, just without being relied upon as heavily to produce at even strength.

The question is whether the Oilers can afford that luxury, as moving Nugent-Hopkins down the lineup would create another opening in an already shallow top-six to begin the season.

In a perfect world, Nugent-Hopkins playing third-line wing might be the best way to maximize what he can still provide at this stage of his career. But the Oilers may just not have the forward depth to make it a reality.

Despite seeing time at second-line centre during captains’ skates, I’d start Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in his familiar spot alongside McDavid. Yes, last season was a step back, but years of strong results together are a bigger sample than one down year. With Savoie sidelined and few proven top-six options available, there’s little reason not to see if 2025-26 was an outlier.

In an ideal world, third-line wing may ultimately be the role that best suits Nugent-Hopkins at this stage of his career. But given the Oilers’ current roster, playing alongside McDavid makes the most sense to start the season. If they can rediscover their previous success, there may be no reason to move him at all.

Where would you play Nuge this season?

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