On Saturday night at Rogers Place, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins reached a significant career milestone in the Oilers’ 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. With a secondary assist on Leon Draisaitl’s power play goal that came at the 10:01 mark of the third period, Nugent-Hopkins recorded his 700th career NHL point. The assist, his 449th in the league, came after some nifty puck movement with McDavid and Draisaitl before the puck quickly found its way behind Petr Mrazek.

Now in his 14th season with the Oilers, Nugent-Hopkins continues to prove himself to be one of the most dependable and consistent players on the roster since being selected first overall back in 2011. A mainstay in Edmonton through the many ups and downs of the organization, Nuge has been a critical part of the team’s core, especially during the resurgence alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. His ability to play both centre and wing has given the Oilers all kinds of flexibility that all of his 2000 coaches have enjoyed — and probably kept him here tbh — while his smarts and versatility have made him a crucial part of the Oilers’ top six.

Despite another horrific result in game two of the 2024-25 season, reaching 700 points in his 883rd game is a nod to Nugent-Hopkins’ longevity and his ability to produce secondary scoring for the franchise. RNH is a Swiss Army Knife on the roster that plays in all situations, but where he really excels is as part of the Oilers’ power play, which is where he was rewarded with his milestone point against Chicago. Currently, he sits in seventh place in all-time franchise scoring behind only Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, Connor McDavid, Glen Anderson, and Leon Draisaitl.

While the Oilers failed to get the job done against the Blackhawks, Nugent-Hopkins’ milestone adds another chapter to his legacy in Edmonton. As the longest-tenured player on the team, RNH will be expected to play a key role as the Oilers look to shake off this early-season slump and get themselves back on the right track. Obviously that turnaround didn’t happen against Chicago, but hopefully having a few key players show up on the scoresheet for the first time can be a step in the right direction.

Either way, congrats to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on hitting a pretty significant milestone in his career.