On the morning of the season opener, Edmonton Oilers fans got some disappointing news.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will not be available to play against the Vancouver Canucks tonight due to a lower-body injury, according to coach Mike Babcock. Jack Michaels tweeted that it might be a “two-week timeline.”

The team is already without Jason Dickinson, who suffered a setback related to his foot injury that hampered him last season. Matt Savoie is on injured reserve (IR) as well.

Although no forward lines have been published for tonight’s game, this injury could mean that Max Jones draws into the lineup in Nugent-Hopkins’ place, unless the Oilers go with 11 forwards and seven defencemen. Vasily Podkolzin will take Nuge’s spot on the top power play unit, said Bob Stauffer.

It could throw the forward lines they’ve been practicing with out of whack, slotting Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together on the top line while Colton Dach and Owen Michaels play centre in the bottom-six. One would have to think Babcock is considering splitting those two up to balance the lines with another centre injury.

Josh Samanski was the last forward cut down to Bakersfield, as the Oilers needed to submit their 23-man roster on Monday afternoon.

The Oilers IR spots are crowded at the moment, with Frederik Andersen, Alec Regula, and Mattias Janmark on the shelf, making it five Edmonton players beginning the season on IR. Nuge could make it six.

This was PuckPedia’s note on Monday night after the rosters were submitted.

Here is your cap-compliant #LetsGoOilers 2026-27 #NHL opening night roster:

13F, 8D, 2G + 5 on IR (Janmark, Savoie, Dickinson, Regula, Andersen)

Projected Cap Space: $303K

Projected Deadline Cap Space: $1.4M

Dead Cap Charges: $2.6M Campbell Buyout, $250K Bonus Overage

More… pic.twitter.com/z7sD7bfeic

- PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) September 29, 2026

Hopefully not a harbinger of things to come, last season started similarly with injuries, with Edmonton unable to ice their best roster at the beginning and end of the year.

The Oilers begin with a home-and-home against the Vancouver Canucks tonight and Thursday, before returning home to face the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night.

Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He’s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4. 

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