Edmonton Oilers: Can Darnell Nurse Stay Up in NHL
The Edmonton Oilers may be lacking when it comes to the right side of their defensive corps, but when it comes to the left-handed blueliners, the Oilers have incredible depth.
Last season, the Oilers had to run without top defenseman Oscar Klefbom, who proved to be Edmonton’s top defender in his short season (interrupted by staph infection). They thankfully had a top defender in Andrej Sekera, and fared even better thanks to the presence of Brandon Davidson, Darnell Nurse and eventually Jordan Oesterle. Though Nurse did not make the original opening night roster, he was eventually called up thanks to continuous defensive woes and injuries.
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With a healthy Klefbom, depth on the right side and Davidson’s continued rise, many wonder if Nurse can maintain his spot on the roster, or perhaps if he will be sent down t Bakersfield for more development and playing time in the NHL.
The 21-year-old defenseman is currently playing on his entry-level contract, which will expire at the end of the 2017-18 season. He had originally been cut from the Oilers’ opening night roster four times, and played 69 games this season as a rookie thanks to his call-up from the Condors.
In those games, he put up 10 points (three goals, seven assists) and 60 PIM. Nurse was a minus-13 and appeared to somewhat struggle defensively, posting a 45.5 percent Corsi For percentage and a -5.8 Relative Corsi.
When it came to performance, the 6-foot-4, 213-pound blueliner did have a decent year as a bottom-pairing defender. He threw 160 hits, which averages in as 6.9 hits per 60, and had 103 blocked shots (4.4 blocks/60). Nurse also dropped the gloves multiple times, posting a 2-2-1 record and drawing blood in two of his battles.
His toughness is a plus, but overall, he does need to continue to work on his game if he is going to be an asset in the National Hockey League. In the end, I think that the best man should ultimately win the job, but Nurse will have to defy expectations and outshine Davidson if he wants to be not only in the NHL, but the starting lineup.
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