Player Discussion Darnell Nurse vs Matthew Benning

[BarDownBobo]

| Darnell Nurse | Matthew Benning
|

|

Age | 22 | 22
Birthday | Feb 4, 1995 | May 25, 1994
Shoots | Left | Right
Height | 6'4" | 6'1"
Weight | 220lbs | 195lbs
Draft | 7th Overall, Edm, 2013 | 175th Overall, Bos, 2012
Games Played | 115 | 62
Goals | 8 | 3
Assists | 13 | 12
Points | 21 | 15
PIM | 93 | 29
+/- | -15 | +8

This is a comparison I've wanted to throw at you guys for a while now, figured I'd wait until the season was over and the board was in a bit of a lull to do so. I'm going to wait to post my opinion on the topic for a bit so as not to potentially influence anyone from the OP. But what I'd like to know is which of these two defenders do you believe is better now and going forward?

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[Spawn]

Benning is better now, I'll say Nurse will be better in the future. Although I kind of doubt either ends up as good as some Oiler fans project them to be.

 

[StupidGenius]

Nurse probably has the ability to be better than Benning on any given night, but to my eyes Benning brings a higher level more consistently than Nurse does game to game. In that same vein, Nurse's rough nights tend to look worse than Bennings'.

 

[McDNicks17]

Probably won't be a popular opinion, but I don't think Benning is going to get much better.

He really falls apart under pressure and I think that's because of his hockey sense and skating. I don't think those parts of his game are(or will be) good enough to be more than a good #4.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Nurse scares me whenever he has the puck behind his own blue line and especially behind his own net. Benning isn't the greatest but he stepped in nicely and looks like a great 5/6.

Nurse is physical (I think) and that's the only element of his game I really like. He jumps into the play too much for my liking...

 

[The Nuge]

You get a lot less peaks and valleys with Benning which is precisely what has lead Nurse to get quite a bit of hate. When Nurse is on, he looks like he's ready for the top pairing. When he's off, he looks like he should be in the press box. Right now, I'd lean towards Benning being " better" because you know you're getting a 4/5/6 who can do a bit of everything, and flat out demolish people. There's no doubt in my mind though that Nurse will be the better player. And by a fair bit. I still see a #2 dman in Nurse. I see a #4 in Benning

 

[MessierII]

Tied now (maybe a slight edge to Benning if I had to choose) I still think Nurse has more potential. Nurse has crazy physical gifts. Everything he needs to improve on is teachable.

 

[MessierII]

You get a lot less peaks and valleys with Benning which is precisely what has lead Nurse to get quite a bit of hate. When Nurse is on, he looks like he's ready for the top pairing. When he's off, he looks like he should be in the press box. Right now, I'd lean towards Benning being " better" because you know you're getting a 4/5/6 who can do a bit of everything, and flat out demolish people. There's no doubt in my mind though that Nurse will be the better player. And by a fair bit. I still see a #2 dman in Nurse. I see a #4 in Benning

Good assessment. I'm not as sold that Nurse will get there but I agree with your assessment.

 

[Zaddy]

Benning is better right now, but I'm not sure he'll ever be more than a #4 guy. Don't see more potential than that in him. Nurse has a higher ceiling just based on his physical tools, but I think the trend of him being a beast on some nights, and being a liability other nights will continue even as he gets more experienced.

Ultimately I think Nurse could be a good shutdown defenseman in his prime, but only if he plays with the right partner, someone like Larsson. I think he'll be too inconsistent to be considered a legit top-pairing defenseman. Also don't think he has much offensive upside. Maybe a 30 point guy with above-average defense in his prime if everything goes well.

Benning is the more mature, smarter and low-risk player though. Honestly have a tough time choosing who I'd take in the future. Nurse is very erratic while Benning is dependable, and I don't think they differ too much in potential. Although it's certainly possible Benning takes a step back next year while Nurse takes a big step forward. But Nurse really needs to simplify his game if he wants to be an impact defenseman. Next year will be very telling IMO.

 

[fuswald]

I'd take Benning for playoffs but Nurse isn't there yet.

People saying Nurse has more potential I don't understand. Benning is the same age. Just because Benning seems more mature doesn't mean he has peaked.

I think Benning will be a better all around D

 

[GMofOilers]

Benning looked like Nurse in his rookie year.

Benning was our 6/7 guy this year all year, while Nurse was our #5. When Nurse went down our dcore really missed him.

Nurse now and in the future.

 

[Distinct]

Benning looked like Nurse in his rookie year.

Benning was our 6/7 guy this year all year, while Nurse was our #5. When Nurse went down our dcore really missed him.

Nurse now and in the future.

Did you watch the playoffs? Benning was the better dman and it wasn't close.

 

[GMofOilers]

Did you watch the playoffs? Benning was the better dman and it wasn't close.

Benning struggled in some of the 12 playoff games that he played.

Some people memories on this board are so short. It doesnt suprise me though.

 

[Aceboogie]

Benning was better this year, Nurse will be better in future. Benning plays a more simple game and does it well. Fewer mistakes overall. Nurse plays a high even game which makes for more errors. But fares way better for the future as if you want to be a top 3D you have to be able to bring a wide variety of skills and ability to the table. Only way to develop those skills is to make those plays as a young D, however that leads to a ton of headaches and mistakes as a young D. Just look to PK Subban, he was crucified as a young D for his mistakes, but all that helped him become a premier D.

For Benning I see pretty high upside tho. Even tho he makes simpler plays, he does them really well. He has a really good shot and can get it thru traffic great, he has good IQ and not many weaknesses. I see him topping out as a Smid level player

 

[FlameChampion]

Is an interesting poll.

Things I like about Nurse:
He has a lot of good tools. He is a good skater. He is physical. He stands up for his teammates. He gives the team a bit of a swagger.

Things I like a bout Benning:
Biggest thing for me is that he has good intuition. He knows when to pick his spots whether its a pinch or a big hit. I think he has good positioning.Think he got a bit worn down as they season went on (which is understandable because players play a lot less in College).

Nurse has tools that Benning likely will never have. Benning has better hockey sense and intuition than Nurse at the moment. If Nurses ability to read the play improves he will be better than Benning. If not Benning will likely be a bit better or they will be around the same.

 

[missinthejets]

Benning struggled in some of the 12 playoff games that he played.

Some people memories on this board are so short. It doesnt suprise me though.

Benning being a free asset that the team got has his positives pumped up and mistakes over looked, Nurse being a high pick has the positives downplayed and the mistakes magnified. Just the way of the internet.

For my money Nurse is the better of the two right now and will be in the future, just that the difference in hype around them leads to people being more critical of one and the other being seen as found money and purely positive.

 

[The Nuge]

I'd take Benning for playoffs but Nurse isn't there yet.

People saying Nurse has more potential I don't understand. Benning is the same age. Just because Benning seems more mature doesn't mean he has peaked.

I think Benning will be a better all around D

Age isn't the be all end all. Nurse has way more physical tools, and has played games at a way higher level than anything we've seen from Benning

 

[Aceboogie]

Benning struggled in some of the 12 playoff games that he played.

Some people memories on this board are so short. It doesnt suprise me though.

This post is extremely ironic. Benning was pretty good to even great in the first 10 games. He had a pretty bad last 2 games, including game 7. So anyone saying he had a bad playoffs is most basing opinions on an emotional game 7 loss, which is the defintion of recency bias and short sightedness. There is a number of things that can be said about Benning, maybe that he faded down the last stretch of regular season, but saying he had a bad playoffs is completely wrong

 

[Digger12]

Is an interesting poll.

Things I like about Nurse:
He has a lot of good tools. He is a good skater. He is physical. He stands up for his teammates. He gives the team a bit of a swagger.

Things I like a bout Benning:
Biggest thing for me is that he has good intuition. He knows when to pick his spots whether its a pinch or a big hit. I think he has good positioning.Think he got a bit worn down as they season went on (which is understandable because players play a lot less in College).

Nurse has tools that Benning likely will never have. Benning has better hockey sense and intuition than Nurse at the moment. If Nurses ability to read the play improves he will be better than Benning. If not Benning will likely be a bit better or they will be around the same.

I'd say that is a fair assessment.

Maybe it's just me, but when I watched Benning this year he reminded me a lot of 15/16 Brandon Davidson. I see someone who could turn into an every day NHLer, but it's certainly not etched in stone at this point. He can't afford to come into camp complacent next year, and I don't expect that he will.

Nurse, as ever, has that enticing package of size, skating, athleticism and aggressive nature that led to his draft pedigree. But can his brain catch up? That's his challenge.

Either way, next year is a huge one for both players as they will be heading into their final ELC year before becoming RFAs. You would expect them to be highly motivated, and that's not even taking into account the huge opportunity to stake their claims for top 4 icetime with Sekera out until at least Christmas. It's going to be interesting to watch for sure.

 

[SourOil]

Based on physical characteristics, Nurse is the traditionalists dream. Huge body - 6'4" and 220lbs at 22. The kid can skate too and seems to have a heavy shot. I've noticed that goalies have a hard time handling his shot when he rushes the puck and lets it go from inside the blueline. Doesn't really generate a ton of offense at this point though.

He is a little rough around the edges and struggles making the simple play at times. I see him growing into a solid top 4 dman once he acclimatises to the NHL game.

Benning has offensive upside that hasn't really been tapped into at the NHL level. Look for him to slide into a PP role next year with Sekera out. I think he will thrive in this role.

Benning also has the ability to hit people in open ice a la Kronwall. But his footwork needs to improve in the defensive zone. He struggles defending the cycle and seems to have trouble maintaining body position on the quicker forwards. I can't imagine that this facet of his game won't improve.

Right now, I think it's Benning. But if Nurses' pedigree starts to show, he is going to be a hell of a player one day.

 

[GMofOilers]

This post is extremely ironic. Benning was pretty good to even great in the first 10 games. He had a pretty bad last 2 games, including game 7. So anyone saying he had a bad playoffs is most basing opinions on an emotional game 7 loss, which is the defintion of recency bias and short sightedness. There is a number of things that can be said about Benning, maybe that he faded down the last stretch of regular season, but saying he had a bad playoffs is completely wrong

I didnt say he had a bad playoffs, I said he struggled in some of the games?

My post was a direct reply of another poster saying did I watch the playoffs?

 

[Glass Eyes]

Benning now and in the future.

Nurse can't play defense at all and being big and a good skater doesn't do him any good if he can't play the position.

People don't want to hear it but Benning out played him and is a better player.

 

[Mr Positive]

Benning being a free asset that the team got has his positives pumped up and mistakes over looked, Nurse being a high pick has the positives downplayed and the mistakes magnified. Just the way of the internet.

For my money Nurse is the better of the two right now and will be in the future, just that the difference in hype around them leads to people being more critical of one and the other being seen as found money and purely positive.

I totally agree with this, and I often notice there is huge difference on how performance is perceived by fans. There are some players who are natural scapegoats, and stuff like draft position and salary create huge biases against them. I prefer to judge a player just on what I see on the ice. They both have bad games and both have great games, and both make horrible screw ups from time to time.

There are arguments as to why either should be better, but to me TOI is a big measure. It shows how much faith a coach has in a player, and Nurse beats Benning in this regard even though Benning fills a need (being a RHD with a good shot), which inflates Benning's TOI. If we brought in an established RHD with puck moving ability this summer (and I think Chia will), then I don't think the comparison will be close.

 

[GMofOilers]

I totally agree with this, and I often notice there is huge difference on how performance is perceived by fans. There are some players who are natural scapegoats, and stuff like draft position and salary create huge biases against them. I prefer to judge a player just on what I see on the ice. They both have bad games and both have great games, and both make horrible screw ups from time to time.

There are arguments as to why either should be better, but to me TOI is a big measure. It shows how much faith a coach has in a player, and Nurse beats Benning in this regard even though Benning fills a need (being a RHD with a good shot), which inflates Benning's TOI. If we brought in an established RHD with puck moving ability this summer (and I think Chia will), then I don't think the comparison will be close.

Penalty kill also is one of Nurses pluses. He was a huge part of it, and we took a big dip when he was injured.

 

[booyakasha]

I totally agree with this, and I often notice there is huge difference on how performance is perceived by fans. There are some players who are natural scapegoats, and stuff like draft position and salary create huge biases against them. I prefer to judge a player just on what I see on the ice. They both have bad games and both have great games, and both make horrible screw ups from time to time.

There are arguments as to why either should be better, but to me TOI is a big measure. It shows how much faith a coach has in a player, and Nurse beats Benning in this regard even though Benning fills a need (being a RHD with a good shot), which inflates Benning's TOI. If we brought in an established RHD with puck moving ability this summer (and I think Chia will), then I don't think the comparison will be close.

100% agree.