Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Expected to Return Saturday vs. Wings

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will face the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night reports Terry Jones of The Edmonton Sun, via Twitter. Following Sam Gagner’s famed eight-point effort, it will be interesting to see where ‘Hoppy’ slots in.

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Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was suspiciously missing from practice following the All-Star Game. Turned out, the phenom had a touch of the flu and was kept off the ice. However, head coach Tom Renney released a rather obvious statement, explaining that because RNH was not cleared for contact, he would not play until he takes a few hits.

Fast forward to today, and not only was Nugent-Hopkins spotted on the ice, he was wearing a regular-colored jersey according to Joanne Ireland of The Edmonton Journal, via Twitter. All reports out of practice indicate that the rookie looked great and appeared to be in great shape. If he can’t play tomorrow, expect the current 1st overall pick to draw for the following game.

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1/15/12: According to the team’s official Twitter account, Nugent-Hopkins will miss 3-4 weeks with a left shoulder injury. You should not expect to play him before February at the very earliest.

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The Edmonton Oilers will complete their seven-game homestand by playing tonight in St. Louis and Saturday in Dallas shorthanded. Even though they will compete with the requisite 12 forwards and six defensemen, they will be without the services of current first overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

According to Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal, Nugent-Hopkins returned home with his left arm in a sling. The Oilers still have not provided an update on his status but it is safe to say he will miss a few games with the injury.

In the meantime, the Oilers have shuffled their lines quite a bit with Sam Gagner moving into the top line center role. To see the complete lines, click here.