The Oilers' Problem Is When to Replace Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

There are some hockey players you replace with another player. A scorer leaves, and you find another scorer. A defenceman gets older, and you start looking for a younger defenceman. It isn't always easy, but at least the job description is reasonably clear. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins presents the Edmonton Oilers with a different problem.

The Oilers aren't going to wake up one morning and discover that they need to replace a 60-point forward. What they will eventually need to replace is a player who can move from centre to wing, play beside Connor McDavid, contribute on the power play, kill penalties, handle different situations and somehow remain useful wherever the coaching staff puts him. Then there is everything else: the leadership, the experience and the connection with a city that watched him survive some pretty miserable years before Edmonton finally became good.

You can't really replace Nugent-Hopkins in a single transaction.

And that is why the Oilers have to be careful about how they think about Nugent-Hopkins' eventual successor. The answer probably isn't finding the next Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. There may not be one. The answer might be finding two or three players who, collectively, can take over the things he currently does.

That is also why Edmonton shouldn't wait until Nugent-Hopkins can no longer handle a top-six role before beginning the transition. By then, the Oilers could find themselves desperately shopping for exactly the kind of versatile two-way forward that every other NHL team would also like to have.

There is something slightly uncomfortable about planning to replace a player who is still producing. Nugent-Hopkins had 56 points in 72 games last season and remains valuable in virtually every situation. This isn't about pushing him out the door or deciding that he is finished.

The Oilers need to plan before an emergency occurs.

Perhaps the ideal scenario isn't replacing Nugent-Hopkins at all. Perhaps Edmonton adds another versatile younger forward while Nugent-Hopkins is still good enough to play an important role. The younger player gradually takes on more responsibility. Nugent-Hopkins takes on a little less. The transition happens over several seasons rather than a single difficult summer.

That might be the real lesson here. The best time to look for the next Ryan Nugent-Hopkins isn't after Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is gone. It's while he can still help Edmonton figure out what comes next.