Oilers’ Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on his way to become only player to play first 1000 games with Edmonton

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will make history Sunday when he plays his 1,000th NHL game against the St. Louis Blues at Rogers Place. The milestone represents something no Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, or Grant Fuhr ever accomplished in Edmonton.

Nugent-Hopkins will become the first player to play 1,000 games wearing only an Oilers uniform from start to finish. The achievement carries added weight considering the era Nugent-Hopkins endured in Edmonton.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins just one game away from franchise milestone

Selected first overall in 2011, he arrived during what became known as the Decade of Darkness. High draft picks arrived with suffocating pressure and departed just as quickly when results didn't materialize. Taylor Hall was traded to New Jersey.

Jordan Eberle went to the New York Islanders. Justin Schultz left as a free agent. Nail Yakupov flamed out and was dealt. Fresh faces showed up every year, and soon another was being shipped out in the opposite direction.

Nugent-Hopkins admitted there were moments when he thought his turn would come. "There were definitely moments where I thought I'd be getting the call," the 32-year-old said this week.

"I was really good friends with Justin Schultz, and things went from really good to pretty sour pretty quickly for him here. Then Jordan, and Taylor, and a lot of other guys left too." He paused before adding the obvious thought that crossed his mind during those years.

"Yeah, there were moments when I thought I could be next on the block," he said. "I'm sure there were offers." Former teammate Sam Gagner believes Nugent-Hopkins's personality kept him in Edmonton when others were moved.

"He's such a good teammate, such a low-maintenance guy," Gagner said. "Maybe when you're looking for problems or looking for change, he's the last place you look?" Current teammate Curtis Lazar explained what makes Nugent-Hopkins so valuable on the ice.

"When he gets the puck, everyone on the bench just exhales," Lazar said. "We know he'll do the right thing with it." Darnell Nurse echoed that sentiment when describing his longtime teammate's impact. "He's an exhale," Nurse said. "I mean, you couldn't put it better."

Nugent-Hopkins was drafted ahead of Gabriel Landeskog, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mark Scheifele, and Nikita Kucherov in 2011. He ranks as the fourth-highest scorer from that draft class and will be the first to reach 1,000 games.

He currently has 785 points and remains under contract through three more seasons at a $5.125 million cap hit. When his career concludes, Nugent-Hopkins will lead the franchise in games played wearing blue and orange, a fitting legacy for a player who survived Edmonton's darkest years to reach its brightest.

Also Read: Head coach Kris Knoblauch praises Connor Ingram despite Edmonton Oilers' recent loss


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