Connect with us

Edmonton Oilers

Where Oilers Sit With Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Contract Extension

The Edmonton Oilers have made Ryan Nugent-Hopkins a priority this offseason but what will it cost to get an NHL extension done?

It’s no secret the Edmonton Oilers are working on a contract extension for center/winger Ryan Nugent-Hopkins this offseason. With one more season left on his current deal, it appears there’s no timetable on an extension but the belief is that the Oilers would like to get the contract signed sooner than later, locking in the former first-overall pick for the foreseeable future.

Related: Oilers News & Rumors: Unpaid Bills, McLeod, Holloway & Bouchard

What may play a role in the timing of a deal is knowing what to pay Nugent-Hopkins and what a fair contract is during a pandemic with good players still getting good money and other players taking a bit of a haircut on their annual average salary.

Adam Gretz of NBC Sports took a closer look at what the Edmonton Oilers might be dealing with in terms of numbers for Nugent-Hopkins and while he’s not a superstar who might be impervious to the pay-scale issues facing a lot of players, he’s extremely valuable and talented. He’s going to get paid and it will affect what the Oilers do with other contracts.

Jason Gregor of OilersNation used players like Brayden Schenn out of St. Louis and Chris Kreider from the Rangers as comparables. If accurate, that means the Oilers forward will fall somewhere in the $6.5 million range. It’s not a huge bump on the $6 million he’s making now, but it’s not a pay cut either. In fact, $6.5 million might be a little low and the Oilers could be looking at a $7 million to get the deal done.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Oilers

Does $7 Million For Nugent-Hopkins Work?

$7 million isn’t peanuts when you’re a team that is dealing with salary cap issues, but it’s only $1 million more than Nugent-Hopkins is currently making and with some contracts coming off the books at the end of the season, this shouldn’t be an issue for the Oilers.

That said, depending on who they’d like to keep — they’ll have pending UFAs in Tyson Barrie, Adam Larsson and Tyler Ennis — saving a little money on Nugent-Hopkins could go a long way if they could do so.

Next: All-Canadian Division and a Sensical NHL Season Format for 2020/21

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

More News

Discover more from NHL Trade Talk

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading