EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers agreed to terms with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on a seven-year contract extension.
Oilers GM Craig MacTavish announced the deal on Thursday.
The team signed the former first-overall pick to a seven-year, US$42- million contract extension.
The 20-year-old Centre from Burnaby, B.C. was drafted by the Oilers in 2011.
He was entering the final year of his entry-level deal.
Nugent-Hopkins has registered 22 goals and 54 assists in 102 career NHL games.
During a news conference Thursday afternoon, MacTavish said “this was a complete no-brainer for us… he’s been all-in since he arrived here.”
“Ryan wanted to stay here, we really want to keep him here, and we sort of knew what the template was to do that,” he added, referencing the two other long-term contracts inked with Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle.
MacTavish described the deal with Nugent-Hopkins as “a value contract for us,” adding “I think it’s equitable. It’s reasonable.”
MacTavish explained that this deal does not include a ‘no-trade clause’, which he said he doesn’t like to have in contracts with younger players.
He recalls the time when “Edmonton was the place where everybody wanted to play,” and the Oilers GM sees the pendulum swinging back in that direction.
For his part, Nugent-Hopkins seemed very pleased with the extension.
“It’s a very exciting time and I couldn’t be happier,” he said. “It’s an awesome time for me and my family,”
“It’s definitely surreal for all of us… I think the biggest thing is just being here for the next eight years.”
He shared that finalizing the deal took some pressure off his recovery, as he continues to rehab from a shoulder injury.
“It’s something I don’t have to worry about… I just have to get healthy and get back to playing,” said Nugent-Hopkins. “I know I’ve got to go out there and do my best for the team.”
MacTavish said the injury didn’t ever threaten the deal. He said the surgery “was solid” and he has “every confidence that there won’t be problems going forward.”
Still, that doesn’t mean the team is pushing Nugent-Hopkins to get back on the ice.
“We’ve got a very valuable asset in our organization wrapped up for eight years… We’re going to be very, very patient.”
Nugent-Hopkins is expected to be playing again around November 1.
With files from The Canadian Press
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