BLOG: Nuge, Hyman nearing milestones as Kulak hits 500 NHL games

EDMONTON, AB – Milestone watch in Oil Country.

Tonight, coast-to-coast on Hockey Night in Canada, one defenceman will reach a major mark for games played while two other forwards will be trying to chase down new points plateaus in their careers when the Chicago Blackhawks pay a visit to Rogers Place in the first of back-to-back games for the Blue & Orange on home ice this weekend.

Stony Plain's own Brett Kulak will make it a half-century of games in the League when he suits up for his 500th career NHL game against the Blackhawks.

The 30-year-old has been nothing short of reliable on Edmonton's back end over parts of four seasons as an Oiler since arriving from Montreal at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline. Kulak played 18 regular-season games that year with the Oilers, recording two goals and six assists before signing a four-year contract ($2.75 million AAV) to remain in Oil Country after an impressive post-season campaign where he was plus-7 and pitched in five assists in 16 playoff games.

Kulak has never missed a game for the Oilers, playing in all 183 regular-season and 53 playoff games available to him and totalling eight goals and 36 assists in those contests while being an important shut-down player for the Blue & Orange at both even strength and on the penalty kill.

As he enters his 500th NHL regular-season game, Kulak has recorded an even 100 points (21G, 79A) exclusively for three Canadian teams – the Calgary Flames, the Montreal Canadiens and of course, the Edmonton Oilers.

Up front, the pair of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman are on the verge of some major milestones on Saturday night – with the potential for both forwards to be able to hit their new career marks on the same play against the Blackhawks if the stars align at Rogers Place.

Nugent-Hopkins is one point shy of 700 career points, while Hyman is one away from breaking the 400 mark.

Nuge is the longest-serving player on the roster by a large margin at 14 seasons (882 games), placing him third on the list for most games played in an Oilers uniform that's only 89 games behind Ryan Smyth for second all-time. He won't pass Smyth this season, but the 31-year-old from Burnaby, BC is tracking to pass his fellow cult icon early during the '25-26 NHL season.

Since being taken first overall by the Blue & Orange at the 2011 NHL Draft, the man affectionately known as 'Nuge' or 'Nuggy' in the locker room has been the quintessential Oiler both on and off the ice. He's been an assistant captain for 11 of those 14 years he's spent in Oil Country and recorded 251 goals and 448 assists – including a career-high 104 points (37 goals) in all 82 games for Edmonton during the '22-23 campaign.

• WATCH: Hyman & Nugent-Hopkins sit down with Bob Stauffer on Oilers+

Hyman, meanwhile, has embodied everything Oil Country stands for since leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs and calling Edmonton "the only option" when he signed a seven-year, $38.5-million contract ($5.5 million AAV) as a free agent during the summer on July 28, 2021.

The 32-year-old has evolved into the perfect linemate for captain Connor McDavid, a power-play specialist and a first-time 50-goalscorer after reaching the incredible heights of 54 goals (77 points) in 80 games last season despite being a fifth-round pick of the Florida Panthers back in 2010.

As a member of the Leafs and Oilers, the right-shot winger and heavy net-front presence has recorded 203 goals, 196 assists and a +110 plus/minus in 581 games.