Details Revealed on Oilers Contract Talks with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

It was reported last week by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Edmonton Oilers and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are grinding out negotiations on his new contract and now there's been some more information exposed.

According to Ken Leavins at the Edmonton Journal, the Oilers have set aside $30 million for RNH and it's going to be up to the player how he wants the money to work. A shorter deal gets him more money per season, meanwhile a long-term extension would drive his AAV down for the team and provide them with financial flexibility moving forward to add more talent. Leavins includes:

It has been suggested to me by several wise, in-the-know people that Holland probably has a brown envelope with about $30m sitting in it. That amount of cash could buy a shorter-term contract with the player at a higher AAV. Or, as I suggested in this space last week, Nugent-Hopkins could look at a longer-term security but with a lower annual cap hit.

Sounds like the Oilers are looking for either $5 million per season for six years, or $6 million for five years. Considering last season RNH recorded 61 points in 65 games followed by 35 points in 52 games this season....is RNH worth it? Worth more? Let us know in the comments.

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