EDMONTON

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was wearing the red sweater of impunity at practice Monday, which gave the impression the Oilers rookie sensation was still off limits.

In fact, Nugent-Hopkins has been cleared for contact and accompanied the team to Calgary for tonight's encounter against the Flames.

"I was cleared for contact, but we didn't have a lot of contact drills (Monday)," said Nugent-Hopkins, who's been out for two weeks with a shoulder injury.

"But I feel good, I feel close and I think the training staff feels the same way.

"I'm not too sure if I'll be able to play (Tuesday), though."

The Oilers are handling the kid with, well, kid gloves.

Nugent-Hopkins originally hurt his shoulder in early January, falling into the boards in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

He missed 13 games, then returned just over a month later, only to injure the same shoulder two games into his comeback.

If he's unable to suit up against the Flames, Nugent-Hopkins could be back to face either the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday or Phoenix Coyotes Saturday at Rexall Place.

"It's tough to tell how the shoulder will hold up without having done some real battles," Nugent-Hopkins said.

"Over the next couple of days we'll be able to determine when I'll be good to go."

Prior to his first shoulder injury, Nugent-Hopkins was the runaway leader in the league rookie scoring race. He has since been passed by New Jersey's Adam Henrique.

When he does return, the toughest thing for Nugent-Hopkins might be trying to get over the fact he's injured the same shoulder twice in his first NHL season.

"It's definitely something that will be in my mind the first few shifts when I get out there," he said.

"When I first came back against Detroit, the first few shifts might have been like that, but it was also about getting into the game and getting my legs going.

"After that, I felt like I hadn't missed any time at all."