Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will miss the next 6-8 weeks with a hand injury, coach Todd McLellan said Tuesday.
Nugent-Hopkins sustained the injury Monday in the second period of a 4-2 victory against the Florida Panthers when he blocked a shot by defenseman Dmitry Kulikov during a Florida power play. He left the ice 2:47 into the second period with Edmonton leading 2-0. He played 7:08 and had an assist on forward Taylor Hall's goal in the first period.
Nugent-Hopkins, the first pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, has eight goals and 22 assists in 46 games.
"He's a key player for us and a big-time player for our team," center Leon Draisaitl said. "Obviously now it's time for other guys to step up and kind of pick that up. He did everything -- he kills penalties, plays on the power play, he produces offensively, takes faceoffs ... all-around player. It's going to hurt but we have the skill and the players to replace him."
The Oilers continue their road trip Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning (7:30 p.m. ET; SNW, SUN).
McLellan also dismissed the idea of playing rookie forward Connor McDavid this week. McDavid, the first pick in the 2015 draft, has been out since fracturing his left clavicle in a 4-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 3. He is not expected back until after the All-Star break.
"He's not ready," McLellan said. "Can you imagine if we put Connor McDavid in [Tuesday] and he got hurt because he's not ready?"
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