Player Discussion Darnell Nurse - To bridge or not to bridge, that is the question.

[Drivesaitl]

I think she is definitely wrong here. Simply because how close him, McDavid and Draisaitl are, it would be crazy for him to trade him.

I think we could trade up from him into a legit defensemen but I can't see Chia even thinking about it.

I know better than to tell the better half she's wrong too many times..Mostly I nod polititely or pretend I wasn't listening. Or pretend I was listening..

But I'm worried about the Nurse situation too. More so since the Garrison and Jerabek tryouts. you could just feel Chia wondering if he could go another way.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Every time my friend bought a jersey the player would get traded within a year. It happened with Weight, Guerin, Pronger, Smyth, and Hall. He's avoided buying a McDavid jersey because of this but I might have to get him a Russell jersey for his birthday

My wife has a Yakupov Jersey. if that means anything. But in honesty I just got it because it was on sale, I told here the Hall Jerseys were so popular they were selling out and were being batch ordered from China with inferior quality. We have an interesting relationship.

Nurse is skating with the guys anyway this week. Showing he wants to be here and be part of things.

 

[StevenF1919]

My wife has a Yakupov Jersey. if that means anything. But in honesty I just got it because it was on sale, I told here the Hall Jerseys were so popular they were selling out and were being batch ordered from China with inferior quality. We have an interesting relationship.

I also have a Yakupov jersey, along with an autographed POS jersey that I won at a season ticket holders event a couple years back.

I still wear the Yak jersey sometimes. He wasn't a great player but he's a likable guy.

 

[Aerrol]

There are two things that I think Nurse needs to become an excellent player.

The first is moving the puck. Him and McDavid are already dynamite together and they'd be even better if Nurse could hit him on the fly with breakout passes.

The second is his decision making in the offensive zone. He's elite at controlled zone entries and often has control of the puck below the red line but he rarely makes anything happen once he's there. If he can learn to make plays down low rather than ringing it around the boards or firing a bad angle shot at the goalie he'd be a hell of a player.

I can see him improving the first - he's dedicated as hell to training and pass mechanics are definitely something you can work on. The second is more what I refer to as offensive awareness and what I think will be the real limit on him. He just doesn't seem to have the vision/creativity to make things happen once he gains the offensive zone. Not sure that changes much.

 

[PaPaDee]

Russell may have had more leverage as a UFA but Nurse is also a much, much better player. My main point about Russell was his effect on our cap situation and how it handcuffs us when trying to upgrade our defense our re-sign players. You can't be paying 4mil with term to a bottom pairing dman.

Agreed that Nurse is the superior player, but in the negotiations, there shouldn't be any reference to Russell, as his contract is not a comparable. And absolutely, our cap situation is creating challenges in re-signing Nurse, but that isn't all due to the Russell contract.

I find that the stats align with the eye test for Russell. It's consistently a shooting gallery when he's on the ice because of his inability to get the puck out of the zone and passiveness at defending the blueline/poor gap control. Watch a player like Klefbom, who is constantly challenging guys at the blueline and halting zone entries and compare him to Russell, who backs up until he's at the red line. A lot of people think he's good at defending because he's making flashy desperation plays to pokecheck the attacker but the only reason he's in those situations is because he ceded the blueline and allowed the other team to enter the zone with speed unchallenged.

From what I've seen, I think Russell can be a solid #4 if he's paired with the right player and is playing on his preferred side.

 

[Aerrol]

I also have a Yakupov jersey, along with an autographed POS jersey that I won at a season ticket holders event a couple years back.

I still wear the Yak jersey sometimes. He wasn't a great player but he's a likable guy.

My only jersey is a Yakupov jersey. I should really pick up a McDavid one to cut down on the mockery, lol.

Edit: ROOKIE Yakupov jersey. I believed.

 

[StevenF1919]

I can see him improving the first - he's dedicated as hell to training and pass mechanics are definitely something you can work on. The second is more what I refer to as offensive awareness and what I think will be the real limit on him. He just doesn't seem to have the vision/creativity to make things happen once he gains the offensive zone. Not sure that changes much.

I have a feeling that he's worked on his shot and first pass this summer so I'm looking forward to watching him this year (if he ever signs). You're probably right about his vision, but hopefully it improves from experience. I'd like to see Yawney give him more free reign in the offensive zone since he's got all of the tools to be effective there.

Agreed that Nurse if superior player, but in the negotiations, there shouldn't be any reference to Russell, as his contract is not a comparable. And absolutely, our cap situation is creating challenges in re-signing Nurse, but that isn't all due to the Russell contract

A smart agent will use every piece of leverage they can get. Overpaying players tends to drive salaries up in contract negotiations no matter what the situation.

From what I've seen, I think Russell can be a solid #4 if he's paired with the right player and is playing on his preferred side.

I mean, anyone can be a solid #4 if paired with an amazing player who can carry them. The thing is, if this team wants to contend for a cup they'll need a much better player than him on that second pairing. I don't think Russell is anything more than an okay bottom pairing player because of his shortcomings that I previously listed.

 

[StevenF1919]

My only jersey is a Yakupov jersey. I should really pick up a McDavid one to cut down on the mockery, lol.

Edit: ROOKIE Yakupov jersey. I believed.

You can always keep the number and change the nameplate to Jason Bonsignore

 

[Aerrol]

I have a feeling that he's worked on his shot and first pass this summer so I'm looking forward to watching him this year (if he ever signs). You're probably right about his vision, but hopefully it improves from experience. I'd like to see Yawney give him more free reign in the offensive zone since he's got all of the tools to be effective there.

I mean it's not impossible he does, and I'd love to be wrong. He's honestly already been better offensively than I ever imagined he'd be when we drafted him so maybe it's something he is a late bloomer at. Yawney is definitely my favourite offseason move. I really want to see what he can do with Nurse, Klefbom and Larsson.

 

[McDNicks17]

Interesting... Dreger on 1260 noted he would be surprised if his bridge exceeded $3 million per year

Wouldn't surprise me.

Lots of defensemen were getting bridges around $2.8M a few years ago. Trouba, Smith, Murray, Dumba, Hutton, Leddy, etc. Then you've got Ceci just getting $2.8M.

Something just over $3M would be realistic.

 

[Drivesaitl]

My only jersey is a Yakupov jersey. I should really pick up a McDavid one to cut down on the mockery, lol.

Edit: ROOKIE Yakupov jersey. I believed.

Theres an amazing amount of Yak jerseys being reflected here in the thread..

I got the Eakins era one. I had to check if the Jersey was scratched..

I'm trying to think of a Nurse joke. A Safe for work one..


I''ll impersonate Gene Principe next..

 

[joestevens29]

My only jersey is a Yakupov jersey. I should really pick up a McDavid one to cut down on the mockery, lol.

Edit: ROOKIE Yakupov jersey. I believed.

I bought 3 or 4 Yak shirts a few months after he was dealt. They were 6 bucks a piece at sport check. The key is to wear a jacket when you where a shirt or jersey of a guy like that and you'll be fine.

 

[Aerrol]

I bought 3 or 4 Yak shirts a few months after he was dealt. They were 6 bucks a piece at sport check. The key is to wear a jacket when you where a shirt or jersey of a guy like that and you'll be fine.

Haha I want a McDavid one anyways, as common as they are. But I just defend the prospect, not the player he turned into and am fine with some ribbing. Plus it proves that I've suffered with the rest of the fanbase through some rough times.

 

[nexttothemoon]

I certainly agree that Auvitu was underutilized.

Benning's pp60 with McDavid is CRAZY. Any context behind that?

Personally I think Benning is much better than people give him credit for.

Being able to play well and benefit offensively when playing with better players isn't a liability either... although everyone always trots out the "Ya but he only got XX pts just because he played with McDavid".

The other side of the coin is that if a player doesn't produce with McDavid... they are seen as being crap as well because it should be automatic to produce with good players (it isn't).


So essentially it's GOOD to have players that can excel with McDavid and it's GOOD to have players than can still contribute and add something away from McDavid as well.


It's a bit ironic that the best dman last season away from McDavid isn't even with the team now... and the dman with the best offensive numbers while playing with McDavid is someone who many here want to see on the bottom pairing (and some don't even feel he is NHL caliber at all and should be in the AHL or traded away).

 

[nabob]

At least one where he clearly and consistently starts doing more than skate the puck in for a close shot on net or a dish back to the point.

So 26 EV points in his 2nd full season is just meh?

 

[Aerrol]

So 26 EV points in his 2nd full season is just meh?

When talking about his offensive awareness? Yes. I don't see those totals going up much more unless he starts doing more than what he's been doing: skating it in for a close shot at the goalie or immediate pass backs to the point. Again, just because I see limitations doesn't mean I'm calling him crap or even the worst defender we have offensively. Frankly, you can probably build some pretty good offensive set plays around Nurse doing the above.

But to return to the post that started this: that doesn't mean he has the offensive awareness to do the things the article mentioned he wanted to develop: slowing the game down in the offensive zone and finding reads/seams in play. That's an entirely different skillset than he's shown so far and is something almost no player develops after a few years in the league. Almost all the best passers/offensive players demonstrate this in some capacity from the get go. It's possible but unlikely. I'll be super impressed if he can add that element to his game.

As I said a few times, however, I could see him upping his point totals if he could develop a big shot. The rebound assists would definitely help his totals.

Edit: one such play I'd love to see is Nurse temporarily taking a winger slot in a play after a rush. He consistently just gives up the puck after he gains the zone in part, I think, because he wants to get back to his designated spot as defender. So why not have, say, a play where RNH covers for him at the blue line after Nurse is on the rush with McDavid, and let Nurse take some more time to either find McDavid or try to get a cleaner shot off in close.

 

[nabob]

When talking about his offensive awareness? Yes. I don't see those totals going up much more unless he starts doing more than what he's been doing: skating it in for a close shot at the goalie or immediate pass backs to the point. Again, just because I see limitations doesn't mean I'm calling him crap or even the worst defender we have offensively. Frankly, you can probably build some pretty good offensive set plays around Nurse doing the above.

But to return to the post that started this: that doesn't mean he has the offensive awareness to do the things the article mentioned he wanted to develop: slowing the game down in the offensive zone and finding reads/seams in play. That's an entirely different skillset than he's shown so far and is something almost no player develops after a few years in the league. Almost all the best passers/offensive players demonstrate this in some capacity from the get go. It's possible but unlikely. I'll be super impressed if he can add that element to his game.

As I said a few times, however, I could see him upping his point totals if he could develop a big shot. The rebound assists would definitely help his totals.

Edit: one such play I'd love to see is Nurse temporarily taking a winger slot in a play after a rush. He consistently just gives up the puck after he gains the zone in part, I think, because he wants to get back to his designated spot as defender. So why not have, say, a play where RNH covers for him at the blue line after Nurse is on the rush with McDavid, and let Nurse take some more time to either find McDavid or try to get a cleaner shot off in close.

We probably only have one or two wingers capable of such a play. Would like likely lead to scoring chances against and fans screaming about Nurses low offensive IQ because he got caught pinching.

 

[Cloned]

There are some rumours that management has set a hard line of 3M and Nurse is asking for closer to 4M. Also some rumours that trade may become a possibility if they can’t get a deal done.

 

[Drivesaitl]

When talking about his offensive awareness? Yes. I don't see those totals going up much more unless he starts doing more than what he's been doing: skating it in for a close shot at the goalie or immediate pass backs to the point. Again, just because I see limitations doesn't mean I'm calling him crap or even the worst defender we have offensively. Frankly, you can probably build some pretty good offensive set plays around Nurse doing the above.

But to return to the post that started this: that doesn't mean he has the offensive awareness to do the things the article mentioned he wanted to develop: slowing the game down in the offensive zone and finding reads/seams in play. That's an entirely different skillset than he's shown so far and is something almost no player develops after a few years in the league. Almost all the best passers/offensive players demonstrate this in some capacity from the get go. It's possible but unlikely. I'll be super impressed if he can add that element to his game.

As I said a few times, however, I could see him upping his point totals if he could develop a big shot. The rebound assists would definitely help his totals.

Edit: one such play I'd love to see is Nurse temporarily taking a winger slot in a play after a rush. He consistently just gives up the puck after he gains the zone in part, I think, because he wants to get back to his designated spot as defender. So why not have, say, a play where RNH covers for him at the blue line after Nurse is on the rush with McDavid, and let Nurse take some more time to either find McDavid or try to get a cleaner shot off in close.

Needs to be mentioned again that Nurse is 23 and has not been exposed, on the team, or in the org to any other D player that has significant Offensive D upside. Still, the player shows quite a lot of imagination, puck handling ability, and has made rushes where he beat opponents with moves and made adroit passes. That Nurse has even shown several flashes of offensive puck movement in this milieu is impressive. Because nobody on the team has been showing him any of this.

To wit a stay home player like Charlie Huddy learned a fair amount from playing years with Paul Coffey. Huddy would never have shown any offensive flash at all were that not the case.

That Nurse is doing this much offensively, and building his game, is quite impressive.

 

[McTonyBrar]

There are some rumours that management has set a hard line of 3M and Nurse is asking for closer to 4M. Also some rumours that trade may become a possibility if they can’t get a deal done.

No. Darnell wants around 3.5. We want 3 million or less. We do not want to go over. Anyway, thats what it is. I have no source but thats my guess

 

[Spawn]

There are some rumours that management has set a hard line of 3M and Nurse is asking for closer to 4M. Also some rumours that trade may become a possibility if they can’t get a deal done.

Link to these rumours?

 

[Bryanbryoil]

There are some rumours that management has set a hard line of 3M and Nurse is asking for closer to 4M. Also some rumours that trade may become a possibility if they can’t get a deal done.

If he wants $4 million on a bridge then he can pound sand.

 

[Cloned]

Link to these rumours?

Friedman on Nylander and Nurse contract stalemates

The 4M and trade rumours are from other Twitter sources, some of which have been disavowed here. I tend to believe them on this though, because it makes sense from a deductive logic perspective.

 

[booyakasha]

No. Darnell wants around 3.5. We want 3 million or less. We do not want to go over. Anyway, thats what it is. I have no source but thats my guess

What do you mean by "we"?

 

[belair]

What do you mean by "we"?

Everybody that's not Darnell Nurse, his agent or fans of other teams other than the Edmonton Oilers.