Player Discussion Darnell Nurse is a #1 dman

[CornKicker]

So full cage from now on so it doesn't get reversed?

i was thinking the opposite....maybe we need to hit the goalies in the dome

 

[PositiveCashFlow]

nah lets get him one of these

 

[Coffey]

So full cage from now on so it doesn't get reversed?

What if he takes another puck to the head and it upgrades his Lidstrom style of play to an Orr style of play?

 

[SK13]

Coming off a 10 goal, 40 point season as a 24 year old at nearly 24 minutes a game definitely puts your market value well above 5.6M dollars.

But it wasn't a friendly discount or anything either. It was a bridge deal that took him to UFA. The Oilers would have likely needed to pony up 7M or so on an 8 year deal and didn't have the cap to comfortably do it. You can thank Peter Chiarelli for that one.

In retrospect, it would have been VERY nice if they did find a way to do it.

 

[TheNumber4]

Beastly Hit tonight. He should do that more often.

 

[McDNicks17]

Coming off a 10 goal, 40 point season as a 24 year old at nearly 24 minutes a game definitely puts your market value well above 5.6M dollars.

But it wasn't a friendly discount or anything either. It was a bridge deal that took him to UFA. The Oilers would have likely needed to pony up 7M or so on an 8 year deal and didn't have the cap to comfortably do it. You can thank Peter Chiarelli for that one.

In retrospect, it would have been VERY nice if they did find a way to do it.

You can’t blame Chia for Holland giving Kassian $20M+ a week before signing Nurse.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

You can’t blame Chia for Holland giving Kassian $20M+ a week before signing Nurse.

??

 

[SK13]

You can’t blame Chia for Holland giving Kassian $20M+ a week before signing Nurse.

That contract was clearly bad, but I disagree that it had much to do with Nurse because without Kassian, they still needed to ear-mark that money for a winger where Kassian was playing.

The Oilers had like 15 million+ in poor value contracts and dead money that was inherited.

 

[Louis Cypher]

You can’t blame Chia for Holland giving Kassian $20M+ a week before signing Nurse.

It was a bad contract for sure but at the time it was imperative that Kassian got signed. They had him playing with and protecting McDavid. Was it a million too high and a year too long for sure. Plus injuries derailed Kassian. He was looking pretty good prior to signing it.

 

[McDNicks17]

That contract was clearly bad, but I disagree that it had much to do with Nurse because without Kassian, they still needed to ear-mark that money for a winger where Kassian was playing.

The Oilers had like 15 million+ in poor value contracts and dead money that was inherited.

They could have signed another 4th liner for about $2.5M less. It's was pretty obvious to everyone other than Holland that Kassian was still a 4th liner just on a PDO bender. That would have given Holland the money to sign Nurse long term up to $8M.

It's kind of classic Holland though. Since he doesn't have even a shred of creativity, he tends to make one mistake which causes another mistake which causes another mistake, etc.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

last night he played 24:07, 2 BEAUTY assists and a +4

Paul Coffey has done wonders to his game

 

[ohheyhemsky]

Nurse is showing some real swagger lately.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Completely different player since the coaching change. I just hope that we can get him a better D partner by the trade deadline.

 

[McFlyingV]

I don't imagine anyone will ever love his contract, but Nurse playing a simplified game like he has been will never have me complaining about his contact. Defensively he's playing like a stud while still keeping some offensive upside in his game. Reminds me so much of WJC Nurse when Canada won gold and his pairing with Theodore (IIRC) didn't give up a single even strength goal all tournament. That's what I always envisioned for Nurse, and with the emergence of Bouchard with Ekholm I think he's starting to finally settle into that role.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I don't imagine anyone will ever love his contract, but Nurse playing a simplified game like he has been will never have me complaining about his contact. Defensively he's playing like a stud while still keeping some offensive upside in his game. Reminds me so much of WJC Nurse when Canada won gold and his pairing with Theodore (IIRC) didn't give up a single even strength goal all tournament. That's what I always envisioned for Nurse, and with the emergence of Bouchard with Ekholm I think he's starting to finally settle into that role.

If he plays like this I don't care if he's seen as overpaid by a little. He gives us a very solid two way player and a difference maker on both sides of the puck. Miles better and more consistent than he was under Woodcroft and Manson.

 

[NotAVacuumSalesman]

I thought the other thread looked kinda funny with only 2 pages. This thread is worthy of bumping.

The consensus is Ekholm is the #1 defenceman on this team now. Darnell is probably a #3. His play might be better when he gets bonked again. I honestly don’t know, I don’t have a crystal ball. /shrug

 

[Bryanbryoil]

If he plays like this I don't care if he's seen as overpaid by a little. He gives us a very solid two way player and a difference maker on both sides of the puck. Miles better and more consistent than he was under Woodcroft and Manson.

And so much for that glimmer of hope. Back to the same old shit. I felt that he had a strong game against Buffalo and much of that probably had to do with Greenway chirping him and saying that he wasn't worth his pay one of the last times that they played. Well since then he has been a damn dumpster fire. He needs to get his shit together, the playoffs are right around the corner and there is no time for dumb mistakes and half assed play in the playoffs if you want to make an actual run.

 

[Mr Positive]

I withhold judgement based on how he does in the playoffs.

I didn't watch this game vs Dallas and apparently I lucked out, and I hear Nurse was particularly bad

 

[K1984]

I withhold judgement based on how he does in the playoffs.

I didn't watch this game vs Dallas and apparently I lucked out, and I hear Nurse was particularly bad

I'd be taking the stance that until he proves otherwise we should assume we have to shelter him in the playoffs. Kulak always elevates his game in the post season, take some of Nurse's defensive minutes away and give them to Kulak. I'd be starting the playoffs with this deployment:

- Take Vinny or Ceci out (probably Vinny at the moment) and play Stecher with Nurse. Nurse's only two games lately where he was actually good were with Stecher

- Take Nurse off the kill. He's a f***ing disaster on it and Ekholm and Kulak can more than play those minutes.

- 5v5 deploy Kulak-Ceci on D zone draws and use Nurse-Stecher for o zone

Shelter him and cut his minutes down until he proves he can handle more. We are asking for it if we throw him out for 25 mins in a playoff game with the way he's currently playing. Rather than pretend it will be different the third time around, let's assume he's going to f*** the playoffs up again and manage him accordingly from Game 1 on.

 

[guymez]

I'd be taking the stance that until he proves otherwise we should assume we have to shelter him in the playoffs. Kulak always elevates his game in the post season, take some of Nurse's defensive minutes away and give them to Kulak. I'd be starting the playoffs with this deployment:

- Take Vinny or Ceci out (probably Vinny at the moment) and play Stecher with Nurse. Nurse's only two games lately where he was actually good were with Stecher

- Take Nurse off the kill. He's a f***ing disaster on it and Ekholm and Kulak can more than play those minutes.

- 5v5 deploy Kulak-Ceci on D zone draws and use Nurse-Stecher for o zone

Shelter him and cut his minutes down until he proves he can handle more. We are asking for it if we throw him out for 25 mins in a playoff game with the way he's currently playing. Rather than pretend it will be different the third time around, let's assume he's going to f*** the playoffs up again and manage him accordingly from Game 1 on.

I agree with this take.
Its a crazy reality....I mean what does it say that a $9.25M dman has to be sheltered for this team to be successful?

 

[Dieseloil]

I withhold judgement based on how he does in the playoffs.

I didn't watch this game vs Dallas and apparently I lucked out, and I hear Nurse was particularly bad

The guy never seems to learn from his mistakes, just the same shit over and over.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

need more Nurse bashing threads bumped

 

[2for1PizzaPastuh]

oh man, lot of us need to find new teams to cheer for..

 

[MoontoScott]

I agree with this take.
Its a crazy reality....I mean what does it say that a $9.25M dman has to be sheltered for this team to be successful?

Nothing personal against Nurse, seems to be a nice guy but what it says is that someone who is paid $5M a year didn't really think through the deal and analyze what was "fair value" in a contract.

Just like the guy who was supposed to scout out a #1 goalie and then signed him to a 5 year deal when all along he had a goalie playing on the farm who was as good/better--certainly not great but essentially the same quality ---and playing for less than 20% of the price that he paid for a free agent.

 

[Kolja]

If your bad on the PK and don't really play on the PP, are you still a no.1 d-man?

Nurse should be traded, whatever it takes.