On Wednesday, Edmonton announced that forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins successfully underwent shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum.
“It’s something that’s been nagging at me for a couple years,” Nugent-Hopkins explained. “It got a little bit worse and it’s something that has to be taken care of eventually.
“We all decided it was time.”
As The Nuge alluded to, shoulder problems have plagued him through his first two seasons at the NHL level. He missed 20 games during his rookie campaign to the same issue and was forced to undergo lengthy rehab before joining Team Canada at the 2012 World Championships.
The Oilers decided to shut down Nugent-Hopkins over the weekend after they’d been eliminated from playoff contention. It was an abrupt end to a tough year for the 20-year-old, who suffered through a sophomore slump that saw him score just four goals (24 points all told) in 40 games.
Last season, he scored 52 points in 62 games and was one of the finalists for the Calder Trophy.
Nugent-Hopkins told reporters that he would be “good to go” for the start of next season.