Pressure Rising for Darnell Nurse After Oilers Move

The Edmonton Oilers signed superstar Leon Draisaitl to a new contract, and that means defenseman Darnell Nurse is under even more pressure to perform.

Jun 15, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse (25) celebrates his goal against the Florida Panthers during the second period in game four of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports / sergei belski-usa today sports

The Edmonton Oilers are determined to return to the Stanley Cup Finals to avenge their game seven loss last season. The organization brought in a new general manager, signed two veteran forwards to fill out their middle-six, and just recently announced a massive extension for superstar center Leon Draisaitl.

Things are looking up for the Oilers after a bitter end to the 2023-2024 season. Unfortunately for Edmonton, what goes up, must come down. That old saying has to be ringing in the ear of general manager Stan Bowman. So, what happens when things come back down for the Oilers? Well, it may cost them defenseman Darnell Nurse.

The Oilers have been invested in Darnell Nurse since they selected him with the seventh overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft. He made his way to the NHL full-time in 2015 and never looked back. In the decade since, he's been the team's number one defender. Over 640 games, he's put up 267 points, with six consecutive seasons of 32 points or more. He's also averaged at least 21 minutes of ice-time per game over that span.

So, what is the problem exactly for the Oilers? It's a $9.25 million problem. The Oilers signed Nurse to a huge extension that started during the 2022-2023 season. The new deal carries an annual cap hit of $9.25 million, the eighth-highest among NHL defenders.

Nurse is a very solid defender, but his contract is a bloated one. Last season, he was tied for 49th in defensive scoring. The year prior, he was 26th, and the year before that he was tied for 43rd. Simply put, he isn't producing enough to warrant such a large cap hit. Even with his efforts on the penalty kill and an underrated defensive toolkit, it doesn't make up the difference.

If Nurse was entrenched as the team's third defenseman and made $3 million less, he'd be the Oilers' and any organization's dream defender. Unfortunately, he's the highest paid and arguably their third most valuable blueliner. Evan Bouchard has assumed the number one role and is next in line for a huge contract extension while Mattias Ekholm usurped the role of steady veteran leadership. Nurse is 29 years old, overpaid, and actively losing his responsibilities with the Oilers' defense, he makes the most sense to move on from.

The saving grace for Nurse is his contract contains a no-movement clause. The Oilers can't trade, release, or demote Nurse to the AHL without his approval. However, in 2028 the clause modifies to a list of 10 teams the Oilers could move Nurse to. This means Nurse has a significant amount of power in where he moves, if he consented to it at all.

For the Oilers, it means they continue to invest and hope that Nurse can be an impact defender. Their championship hopes are counting on it this year, and it will only help them possibly move him with their pending salary cap crunch.

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