The Edmonton Oilers and star forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have halted their contract extension talks. The long-time Edmonton Oiler is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2021 if an agreement cannot be reached.
Back in October it had seemed that a long term extension was imminent, but with the market changing due to COVID-19, an agreement may not happen in the near future.
"Obviously a weird, different time to be talking contracts," Nugent-Hopkins said. "Right now I'm just focused on getting the season started. In my mind, I know it's there, but I'm going to put it on the back burner and just really focus on getting the season going and getting started the right way."
Oiler GM Ken Holland's goal is still to sign Nugent-Hopkins to a deal, but he believes that the deal has to work for both the Oilers and Ryan.
"His agent, Rick Valette, and I had many conversations during the two weeks around free agency in October," Oilers general manager Ken Holland stated, regarding the contract status of Nugent-Hopkins. "But the marketplace has changed so much that basically our conversations have ended, and I would hope at some point once we get up and running we can pick back up and see if we can find a solution to keep Nuge in an Oilers uniform. Certainly that's my goal, but the deal's got to work for both Ryan and the Oilers."
The Burnaby native is entering the last season of a seven-year deal, in which he was earning $6 million per season. Last season, he tallied 61 points (22 goals, 39 assists) in 65 games, which was the highest point-per-game rate of his career. At 27-years-old, Nugent-Hopkins will likely be looking at a bit of a pay-raise, but this season will tell us exactly how much that amount will be.
Source: https://www.nhl.com/oilers/news/blog-rnh-focused-on-season-not-contract-extension/c-319861452
