The Edmonton Oilers completed a three-game California road trip, scoring 17 goals combined. But somehow, they only won one of them. Scoring goals isn’t a problem, but preventing them has been a major issue.
Their defensive game has been underwhelming. They’re allowing too many quality chances because their attention to detail is lacking, and they’ve had too many unforced errors. Their puck management has been dreadful, resulting in turnovers. Everyone needs to be better, but nobody should be criticized more than Darnell Nurse.
Nurse has had a terrible season and is actively harming the team. Sure, he fights a couple of times a season and blocks some shots, but that’s not enough. He looks lost out there most of the time and is rarely in the right areas. Despite his size and physical presence, he’s too easy to play against. He doesn’t clear out the front of the net, he doesn’t have his stick in good positions, and he plays too stationary in the defensive zone.
Offensively, he has poor shot selection and is always taking perimeter shots with no traffic in front. He also ices the puck frequently when under pressure, instead of finding the smart outlet pass.
Nurse has played 777 career games, so the mistakes he’s making should be out of his game by now. But he’s seemingly getting worse every season with no improvement in sight. At this point, he is what he is, which is an underwhelming defenceman who occasionally has positive moments. The Oilers need more from him, but is he even capable of giving more? At the end of the day, he hurts the team more than he helps.
There is zero accountability when it comes to Nurse. Despite his struggles and horrendous play, he never misses a shift. He’s always among the team leaders in 5-on-5 ice time, and that’s undeserved. He’s also on the ice in the final minutes of a close game, protecting a lead, tied, or trailing by one.
Related: 5 Takeaways From Oilers’ 5-4 Loss to Sharks
That came back to bite them on Wednesday (Feb. 25) against the Anaheim Ducks. He was out there in the final minutes of a tied game. He had an egregious unforced turnover and was in a poor defensive position, leading to the game-winning goal. That game would have gone to overtime if it weren’t for Nurse. He was the reason the Oilers didn’t get at least a point.
Then on Saturday (Feb. 28) against the San Jose Sharks, he was on the ice in the final three minutes trailing by one. He was already having a brutal game, yet the coaching staff still had him out there. What does he have to do to get benched?
Nurse also has zero accountability for himself. Media member Mark Spector questioned his play postgame against the Sharks. “How’s your game? It looked like you fought it tonight,” Spector stated. “Good analysis,” was Nurse’s response.
That was a very childish answer from a so-called “leader” on this team. Spector provided an opportunity to hold himself accountable, and he didn’t. That was a disappointing and, frankly, an embarrassing answer from the veteran blueliner. If he doesn’t see the press box next game, this organization has some serious issues. It’s time to send a message because this is unacceptable, and it has been for a while.
Nurse’s play matches his contract. They are both horrendous. He signed an eight-year extension with a hefty $9.25 million cap hit in 2021, which runs until the 2029-30 season. He also has a full no-movement clause until the summer of 2027, which turns into a modified 10-team no-trade list. Even when we get to 2027, who will be lining up to acquire that albatross contract? The answer is nobody, and even if somebody does, you’ll have to attach significant assets to make a deal happen.
The contract is also buyout-proof. Even if the Oilers buy out his contract in the offseason, the organization will save a measly $1.53 million in 2026-27 and have $7.72 million in dead cap space. Then, for the next three seasons, the Oilers would have $8.52 million in dead cap space, followed by $467,000 of dead cap space until 2034. This is an ugly situation that won’t go away anytime soon.
This contract is single-handedly preventing the Oilers from winning the Stanley Cup. His contract could fill multiple needs. Instead, the Oilers still have defensive, bottom-six, and goaltending issues. If the Oilers fail to win the Stanley Cup in the Connor McDavid era, Nurse’s abysmal play and terrible contract would be a major contributor.
It’s a shame that one of the best NHL players of all time won’t win a Stanley Cup with the team that drafted him because of incompetent management.
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