Player Discussion Darnell Nurse

[Titsuple]

I keep reading,
-Put Nurse in the AHL
-Start Nurse in the minors
-Let him play 25min a night on the farm

If Nurse comes to camp and dominates and is clearly one of our top 5 defense men do we still send him down or do we ice the best line-up we can?? Can he replace Schultz? I know he can play right side. I see us moving Nikitin or he will hit waiver wire in pre season. I dont think we should add Franson at all because next year we have to have rom for some of these young studs.

Sekera - Fayne
Klefbom - Nurse
Reinhart - Gryba
Ference

PP1 - Sekera
PP2 - Klefbom - Reinhart

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[shoop]

I keep reading,
-Put Nurse in the AHL
-Start Nurse in the minors
-Let him play 25min a night on the farm

If Nurse comes to camp and dominates and is clearly one of our top 5 defense men do we still send him down or do we ice the best line-up we can?? Can he replace Schultz? I know he can play right side. I see us moving Nikitin or he will hit waiver wire in pre season. I dont think we should add Franson at all because next year we have to have rom for some of these young studs.

Sekera - Fayne
Klefbom - Nurse
Reinhart - Gryba
Ference

PP1 - Sekera
PP2 - Klefbom - Reinhart

Shouldn't someone who dominates be better than a top-5 D man on this team?

If he comes into camp and undeniably earns a spot so be it. If not, a year in the AHL can only help.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Let's be serious here: Nurse is better than Ference or Nikitin right now. What we have to decide is: is it better for his development to play 25 minutes a night in the AHL, spotting in as first call up, or playing 13 minutes a night in the NHL?

If he stakes his claim to a spot over the bloody carcasses of our lesser D - I mean a night and day comparison - absolutely, keep him up.

I think it'll be a war between him and Reinhart for a spot. Fully expect Nikitin to be waived or otherwise ditched.

 

[Topkatz]

NHL is not a developmental league, that's why the AHL is there.

There is absolutely no downside long term of letting him play the season/part of the season in Bakersfield. He needs to improve his decision making and shot a little bit. When he is ready though he will be a monster. Let's not destroy that by rushing him and damaging his confidence.

 

[Da McBomb]

I don't think theres a doubt in my mind that Nurse will outperform Ference, Nikitin, and Gryba in camp. The last two training camps, he should have made the team if it was just based on play alone and not his age. Its just the question of whether management thinks he can benefit more starting off in the minors and geting more minutes, which is what I think they prefer. But I just have this feeling that Nurse will force his way on this team right out of training camp.

 

[Titsuple]

Super excited about Leon. I am for what ever is best for his development. If he flat out undeniably earns a spot - play him. Has Seth Jones been head and heels better since there draft? The NHL is not a developing league however Jones,Ekblad,Fowler (examples only not comparisons)have been looking good so far.

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

I want him in the AHL to work on his offensive game. He's pretty damn good defensively and has the tools for offense to develop that. For him to dominate for me means he's defending well and putting up points. If that is the case then he's a top 4 D pretty quickly.

 

[MinimaMoralia]

Darnell Nurse is looking beastly.
And that's because the Oilers, for a change, have been bringing him along slowly. They have let him marinate a bit, instead of throwing him to the NHL wolves as they arguably have been guilty of in the past.
I say, stay the course, let him continue to develop his game in the AHL. Let him continue to build that confidence that a good defenceman needs. Let him learn the game at an adult level. There is too much invested in his development to risk burning him out before he's ready. He could be our blueline saviour, let's not ruin it.

 

[oXo Cube]

There is a difference between handing a rookie a role he didn't earn and isn't ready for, and giving him a role because he proved he deserves it.

I want Nurse to play wherever he belongs, if that turns out to be Edmonton, then so be it.

 

[Digger12]

Was Sean Monahan a fully formed NHLer with no room for improvement when he went through his rookie year? Obviously not, but the Flames kept him up anyway. And looking at him now, he doesn't look like it damaged him any.

Prospect development is not a one size fits all venture...and the question shouldn't always be "what has the least downside?", rather "what will maximize his potential?"

I say let camp decide where Nurse starts the year. If it is the AHL, fine. I just don't want it to be the default answer regardless of merit.

 

[Throttlehead]

There is a difference between handing a rookie a role he didn't earn and isn't ready for, and giving him a role because he proved he deserves it.

I want Nurse to play wherever he belongs, if that turns out to be Edmonton, then so be it.

Exactly!

It seems some want to overcompensate for previously rushing players, no matter the reality.

 

[AlowlyMcOilersfan]

would like to pair him with Reinhart and have them play 30 mins a game in Bakersfield

 

[Mr Positive]

It's weird. We have less need of him because we have a lot of defensive depth atm, but at the same time the arrival of Sekera and Talbot makes me feel more confident that the Oilers will be a positive developmental environment for Nurse.

I'm still leaning to having him start in the AHL though, even if he shows well in preseason and camp. The team may still be bad, preseason doesn't represent the regular season very well, and it just seems like the most sane way to groom our best D prospect. We NEED to get his development right. Even if it is just half a season in the AHL I think he will benefit from the experience.

 

[McFlyingV]

Was Sean Monahan a fully formed NHLer with no room for improvement when he went through his rookie year? Obviously not, but the Flames kept him up anyway. And looking at him now, he doesn't look like it damaged him any.

Prospect development is not a one size fits all venture...and the question shouldn't always be "what has the least downside?", rather "what will maximize his potential?"

I say let camp decide where Nurse starts the year. If it is the AHL, fine. I just don't want it to be the default answer regardless of merit.

This pretty much covers my opinion on the topic. Some players excel and grow right away in the NHL and others struggle and take time developing in lesser leagues. Nurse has made extreme leaps since being drafted and I think if he proves he belongs in the top 6 in camp he should be given that opportunity to prove himself. People get this idea that somehow playing large minutes in the AHL is better than playing sheltered lower minutes in the NHL, but it just isn't always true because eventually they still need to make that leap to adapt to the NHL game. I have zero worries either way on what happens with him to start the year. Mclellan is a good coach and he won't put Nurse in a position where he's bound to fail like Eakins did with Schultz.

 

[thadd]

I want to see Nurse work on his shot in the AHL.

 

[4th_Liner]

unfortunately, we don't have enough top 4 veterans to pair him with to bring him along. you need that veteran presence for young nhl defensemen to really get it.

right now we have reinhart and klefbom to bring along. i see sekara/reinhart, fayne/klefbom to start the season, i'd love to see nurse replace klefbom though. i think reinhart and nurse are going to be the corner stone of our defense, klefbom not so much.

 

[ItsTheBGB]

unfortunately, we don't have enough top 4 veterans to pair him with to bring him along. you need that veteran presence for young nhl defensemen to really get it.

right now we have reinhart and klefbom to bring along. i see sekara/reinhart, fayne/klefbom to start the season, i'd love to see nurse replace klefbom though. i think reinhart and nurse are going to be the corner stone of our defense, klefbom not so much.

Klefbom >>>> Reinhart now and I have a hard time seeing Reinhart ever being better than klef.

 

[Titsuple]

From what I heard on OilersNow today and a little bit in the players media avail after practice, it sounds like McDavid and Nurse have developed a friendship on and off the ice.

Is there something to be said about keeping them together to build a bond and sportsmanship? Hall&Ebs kind of thing? You know Nurse will NOT hesitate to stick up for McDavid especially if they become besties!

 

[4th_Liner]

Klefbom >>>> Reinhart now and I have a hard time seeing Reinhart ever being better than klef.

just a difference in opinion. i don't think much of klefbom.

 

[Diamondillium]

I have a definite feeling Nurse is going to surprise people and force his way onto the NHL roster this year. Which is not a bad thing at all, you play players where they are ready to play.

Of course, this feeling is based on no real information and exclusively gut feeling, so don't take my word for it obviously.

 

[OnTheBrink]

From what I heard on OilersNow today and a little bit in the players media avail after practice, it sounds like McDavid and Nurse have developed a friendship on and off the ice.

Is there something to be said about keeping them together to build a bond and sportsmanship? Hall&Ebs kind of thing? You know Nurse will NOT hesitate to stick up for McDavid especially if they become besties!

I think there friendship stems from the WJC, if you watched them after they won seemed a bit to seek each other out to celebrate the win after the initial doggy pile.

Nurse seems like a beauty, becoming one of my favorite Oilers and hasn't even played full time yet.

 

[ohheyhemsky]

I have a definite feeling Nurse is going to surprise people and force his way onto the NHL roster this year. Which is not a bad thing at all, you play players where they are ready to play.

Of course, this feeling is based on no real information and exclusively gut feeling, so don't take my word for it obviously.

If we're forced to throw one of our rookies to the fire, I'd hope it would be Nurse rather than Reinhart. Nurse >>>> Reinhart and is much more likely to succeed.

I'd rather neither of them be in the NHL next season, but if we must, it should be Nurse.

 

[The Batman]

I don't want to see Klefbom paired with a rookie. I'd honestly rather see how Schultz does under a new coach. Nurse is in the AHL as our bottom pairing is way too muddled atm.

 

[Spawn]

If Nurse comes in and blows the doors off and earns a spot that's cool. Considering his draft position and how far out he is from being drafted that wouldn't be that crazy an idea. Same with Reinhart. Same with Draisaitl. It's actually pretty rare for guys to be drafted as high as these kids have been and not be in the league very quickly.

The major BUT for me is that him earning a spot isn't simply outplaying Nikitin/Ference. Just because he outplays two guys that probably shouldn't be in the league doesn't mean he's ready to actually play in the league.

If he doesn't look like he can handle playing against NHL competition, I want him in the AHL to properly develop. Regardless of if he's better than guys who suck.

 

[Throttlehead]

If we're forced to throw one of our rookies to the fire, I'd hope it would be Nurse rather than Reinhart. Nurse >>>> Reinhart and is much more likely to succeed.

I'd rather neither of them be in the NHL next season, but if we must, it should be Nurse.

Don't you want to see how all of them do in camp and pre-season before making judgement?