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One of the most intriguing injured sleepers to stash in fantasy hockey drafts this year was C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers. Nugent-Hopkins was supposed to be out until November following off-season shoulder surgery and the injury caused many fantasy owners to steer clear of the youngster in fantasy drafts this fall. However, the star middleman has returned to the ice much quicker than expected and fantasy owners couldn’t be happier.
The Nuge looked very impressive in his debut on Monday night, as the center scored his first goal of the young season against the New Jersey Devils in his very first game. Even better, his first goal of the season was a power play goal and started the team on a four-goal stretch that would eventually win the game 5-4. He also tallied 28:12 minutes of ice time in his first game of the season and finished the game with six shots on goal. The youngster looked very comfortable on the ice and didn’t show any signs of rust.
Nugent-Hopkins will instantly add to the value of Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall on the team’s top line and Edmonton should really start scoring some goals. The Nuge will be involved in plenty of action moving forward and will be back as the leader of one of the top young lines in hockey.
The 20-year-old sensation is healthy, and he can be plugged instantly into fantasy lineups. He should be able to rack up a couple points per week and quickly jump to the top of the team’s points leader board.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
