Oilers insider reveals disappointing news on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins injury

Oilers coach Knoblauch ruled out Nugent-Hopkins for one week, and did not disclose any more information on the injury. As with many injuries the Oilers have had recently, it looks like the Coach's shared info might not be so accurate.

According to a new update from Oilers insider Mark Spector, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins isn't travelling with the team on the road trip.

The Oilers won't return home until November 25th to face the Dallas Stars, almost 2 weeks away.

It's not a good sign that Nugent-Hopkins didn't travel with the team, and it could be a sign he won't be back until beyond the original timeline of one week. If he was, he'd likely be with the team and back to ramping up in practices.

The total obscurity of injury information from the Oilers in recent seasons has been frustrating for fans, but is meant to protect the players. It's understandable, but fans just want to see the team back at full strength.

Missing arguably their most consistent 2-way leaves a major hole in the Oilers' lineup, but so far they've managed well without Nuge. Matthew Savoie has been promoted to the first line and is shining in the role - something that could stay even when Nuge returns.

Hopefully the rest of the team sees this as an opportunity to step up, and prove their worth to the team.