Post-Game Talk: Oilers 2 Canucks 0 - Talbot with the shutout

[MessierII]

no chance is Reinhart ahead of Nurse on the depth chart. and i'd be surprised if Nurse ever goes back to the AHL again....that would assume another d-man is going to outplay him at camp next year and i can't see it with any of the guys they called up.

Nurse hasn't been close to good enough to say that definitively.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

Ideally next season Klefbom is healthy and we pick up 2 top 4 RHD. Then that leaves 2 slots, with Davidson likely occupying 1 of them barring a step backward in his game, which is completely possible. The other should be to platoon Oesterle, Nurse, Reinhart and then have Fayne as the #7 unless we can unload him and replace him for cheaper with a guy like Pardy, Lovejoy, Gryba.

 

[McFlyingV]

no chance is Reinhart ahead of Nurse on the depth chart. and i'd be surprised if Nurse ever goes back to the AHL again....that would assume another d-man is going to outplay him at camp next year and i can't see it with any of the guys they called up.

I agree Reinhart isn't ahead on the depth chart based on a few good games, but I also do think Nurse could benefit from more time in the minors. 30 ish games could be enough if some of the other guys show that they're good enough for bottom pair. Of course it could be completely different next year if he gets a long AHL playoff stretch in (assuming Bak makes playoffs and the team can gel when Nurse, Reinhart, Oesterle, and Brossoit go down) and works on his awareness. Also have to wait and see how much bigger and stronger he gets over the summer, I would assume he'll come into camp over 220 which could make a world of difference when it comes to his effectiveness at winning board and net front battles.

I definitely hope that Nurse comes into next season bigger and ready for full-time NHL duty because when he's finished filling out he has the potential to be a punishing physical Dman who can scrap with anyone, which when you factor in his skating and potentially untapped breakout and offensive game is a really unique package. Even if he only ever becomes a #3, that is a very useful player to have in the west, especially if this team can get back to the playoffs.

 

[McFlyingV]

Ideally next season Klefbom is healthy and we pick up 2 top 4 RHD. Then that leaves 2 slots, with Davidson likely occupying 1 of them barring a step backward in his game, which is completely possible. The other should be to platoon Oesterle, Nurse, Reinhart and then have Fayne as the #7 unless we can unload him and replace him for cheaper with a guy like Pardy, Lovejoy, Gryba.

Yeah I'd agree, but I also don't see Davidson taking a step back. You could see his progression was steady. He wasn't having a good stretch followed by a bad stretch and you could see he'd work on one part of his game until he had that part down and move onto another. It started with him working on his ability to win board battles, then he started working on his decision making with the puck, then he started to add more physicality to his game, and when he finally had all that down he started jumping into the play more looking to be more of a 2-way threat. The fact that he was steady through all of it without taking steps back gives me 100% confidence that he will be ready to play middle pairing next year, but penciling him in on the bottom pair is fine too.

Another good thing about him regarding his injury is that I haven't heard much of anything about him needing surgery. I saw he's wearing a knee brace, which can be used for a grade 3 fully torn MCL sprain to heal, but its my understanding for professional athletes they would do the surgery over healing it that way. All of that gives me hope that its just a grade 1 or grade 2 sprain which means that he should get pretty much the whole summer to train for next season, which was my biggest worry when he first got hurt. I think he could still add a little more size and strength in he wanted to.

 

[shoop]

Nurse hasn't been close to good enough to say that definitively.

Pretty much. Nurse and/or Reinhart can certainly change the equation the remaining eight games.

If they both play they way they have the last couple games over the remainder of the season then it's all up to the off-season.

Look at the huge jump Drai took last off-season.

Hopefully one of them takes that jump this off-season. Ideally both, but no need move into the realm of ridiculous.

 

[OilTastic]

Nurse hasn't been close to good enough to say that definitively.

respectfully disagree. sending him back next year for half a season is a waste of time after he's already had most of a season's worth of experience in the NHL. yes he's made his fare share of mistakes but i'm hoping the Oilers just be patient for another season or so and let him gain more experience up here. this is where signing a good vet like Demers and trading for a good young pro like Hamonic would go a long ways in being able to shelter Nurse a bit and not have him thrown to the lions as often as he has been this season. and many teams have just been patient and waited for younger d-men to develop in the NHL and are now reaping the benefits.

 

[McGoMcD]

Nurse hasn't been close to good enough to say that definitively.

I think Nurse has had a solid year for a rookie D man and showed improvement all year long. I think he is on the team next year for sure. I would probably have him ahead of Davidson, I like Davidson a lot, but given the age difference Nurse has more room to grow. His curve is still pointing up big time.

 

[McFlyingV]

Pretty much. Nurse and/or Reinhart can certainly change the equation the remaining eight games.

If they both play they way they have the last couple games over the remainder of the season then it's all up to the off-season.

Look at the huge jump Drai took last off-season.

Hopefully one of them takes that jump this off-season. Ideally both, but no need move into the realm of ridiculous.

I think both could take big steps if they put in good offseasons. Reinhart should be working a lot with Pelletier this summer and spending a lot of time in the gym working on his lower body strength and power, and Nurse should be spending most of the summer working on his shot and looking to get up to 220-225.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

I think both could take big steps if they put in good offseasons. Reinhart should be working a lot with the Pelletier this summer and spending a lot of time in the gym working on his lower body strength and power, and Nurse should be spending most of the summer working on his shot and looking to get up to 220-225.

Nurse should play a lot of Brain Age to work on his decision making

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I think Nurse has had a solid year for a rookie D man and showed improvement all year long. I think he is on the team next year for sure. I would probably have him ahead of Davidson, I like Davidson a lot, but given the age difference Nurse has more room to grow. His curve is still pointing up big time.

Nurse has show a lot, but at the same time just because he's young doesn't mean how good he is now should be overblown. Looking exclusively at this season, Davidson is ahead of Nurse still.


The warts in Nurse's game get covered by his physical abilities, but that "cheat" is also going to stop him from developing those needed skills. If you just keep him in a 3rd pairing defencive role, he's never going to get the chance to refine and polish his game. I'll overstretch the comparisons, but it's the difference between him developing into a Pronger-lite or into a Smid.


Just because he's good enough for the NHL, doesn't mean that's it's the best place for him.

 

[shoop]

Nurse has show a lot, but at the same time just because he's young doesn't mean how good he is now should be overblown. Looking exclusively at this season, Davidson is ahead of Nurse still.


The warts in Nurse's game get covered by his physical abilities, but that "cheat" is also going to stop him from developing those needed skills. If you just keep him in a 3rd pairing defencive role, he's never going to get the chance to refine and polish his game. I'll overstretch the comparisons, but it's the difference between him developing into a Pronger-lite or into a Smid.


Just because he's good enough for the NHL, doesn't mean that's it's the best place for him.

Great post. I'd move the upside a touch from Pronger-lite to Pronger. Absolute best case scenario, but it isn't unpossible.

Unless Nurse makes huge strides in the off-season then I'd keep him in Bako. The strides I'd want to see are smarter decision making, learning not to cheat and putting on some muscle.

 

[JordanGalhanth]

Regarding Pronger...wasn't he rushed out of town by Hartford fans back in the day because he was a bust? Or is my history messed up? I was barely 2 when it happened so I really don't know the true story.

I make this statement because I'd hate for Oilers fans to run Nurse out of town after one season.

 

[shoop]

Regarding Pronger...wasn't he rushed out of town by Hartford fans back in the day because he was a bust? Or is my history messed up? I was barely 2 when it happened so I really don't know the true story.

I make this statement because I'd hate for Oilers fans to run Nurse out of town after one season.

History messed up. I wouldn't call trading Pronger for a top of his game Brendan Shanahan running Pronger out of town. More like you gotta trade something of value to get something of value.

Having Nurse spend most of next year in Bako isn't running him out of town.

 

[Billy Barou]

I think Nurse has had a solid year for a rookie D man and showed improvement all year long. I think he is on the team next year for sure. I would probably have him ahead of Davidson, I like Davidson a lot, but given the age difference Nurse has more room to grow. His curve is still pointing up big time.

I respectfully disagree. Nurse has struggled considerably this year and has not shown gradual improvement. He started off much stronger than he's been in the last half of the season. I hoped for some improvement after the AS break and it hasn't materialized.

When you look at Nurse's WOWY he is making every defenceman worse.

These are CA/60 with and without Nurse. First number is with, second without.

SEKERA, ANDREJ 60.61 57.2
CLENDENING, ADAM 64.81 52.95
GRYBA, ERIC 53.44 56.73
FAYNE, MARK 67.11 55.74
DAVIDSON, BRANDON 60 50.14
KLEFBOM, OSCAR 75.79 50.79

The only one he doesn't make worse is Gryba because he's even worse at defending than Darnell. Davidson has the exact opposite effect on every partner. Before this season I thought Nurse could be a top pairing defence. I'll be happy with a steady 4-5 at this point. He does not read the game well, has poor positioning and does not have a good stick. Nurse has been the biggest disappointment of the season for me.

There is a very good chance Nurse will be pushed off the team next year. Right now I have Oesterle and Reinhart ahead of him. Davidson considerably so.

 

[ElysiumAB]

Check the swear jar though.

My buddy sends me a text that says, "****!!!!" everytime Hall scores.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

So was Nurse the pick that was offered for Schneider? But Vancouver went for Horvat instead to avoid having to face a good goalie in their division?



Oh the irony that Horvat was scoreless and a -1 watching Nurse play 20 minutes and rough up Baertschi at the end of a shutout.

This irony will double if the win ends up making a difference in the lottery result.

 

[nexttothemoon]

I think it's a "little" too early to be writing Nurse off as a #4/5 dman who'll likely be pushed off the team next year.

Pardon my French... but I think that actually borders on bat**** crazy.

He's still very young (especially for a dman) and progression in many dmen isn't linear... it's often a step forward... 2 steps back... a leap forward... a step back... etc.

Time (more games played)
Patience (including coaches that don't throw him to the wolves with 23+ minutes a night)
Better overall team D.

Those 3 ingredients will make Nurse a much better all around dman than what we are seeing now.


My optimistic guess is that he's seen as the Oilers most improved player by this time next season. I won't go so far as to say "book it" with that prediction but I think it has a very good chance of happening.

 

[Bangers]

History messed up. I wouldn't call trading Pronger for a top of his game Brendan Shanahan running Pronger out of town. More like you gotta trade something of value to get something of value.

Having Nurse spend most of next year in Bako isn't running him out of town.

Shanahan was as good return, but Pronger struggled a lot adjusting to both the NHL and the requirements of being a professional. The talent was there, but nobody in Hartford was sad to see him leave.

 

[shoop]

I think it's a "little" too early to be writing Nurse off as a #4/5 dman who'll likely be pushed off the team next year.

Pardon my French... but I think that actually borders on bat**** crazy.

He's still very young (especially for a dman) and progression in many dmen isn't linear... it's often a step forward... 2 steps back... a leap forward... a step back... etc.

Nobody is writing Nurse off.

Having him start the season in Bako isn't pushing him off the team. It actually fits with the second part of your post. If he's in the middle of two steps back it is better to have him work through that phase in the AHL.

 

[MessierII]

I respectfully disagree. Nurse has struggled considerably this year and has not shown gradual improvement. He started off much stronger than he's been in the last half of the season. I hoped for some improvement after the AS break and it hasn't materialized.

When you look at Nurse's WOWY he is making every defenceman worse.

These are CA/60 with and without Nurse. First number is with, second without.

SEKERA, ANDREJ 60.61 57.2
CLENDENING, ADAM 64.81 52.95
GRYBA, ERIC 53.44 56.73
FAYNE, MARK 67.11 55.74
DAVIDSON, BRANDON 60 50.14
KLEFBOM, OSCAR 75.79 50.79

The only one he doesn't make worse is Gryba because he's even worse at defending than Darnell. Davidson has the exact opposite effect on every partner. Before this season I thought Nurse could be a top pairing defence. I'll be happy with a steady 4-5 at this point. He does not read the game well, has poor positioning and does not have a good stick. Nurse has been the biggest disappointment of the season for me.

There is a very good chance Nurse will be pushed off the team next year. Right now I have Oesterle and Reinhart ahead of him. Davidson considerably so.

He's not an NHL D man. He shouldn't have been anything more than a call up this year.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

I respectfully disagree. Nurse has struggled considerably this year and has not shown gradual improvement. He started off much stronger than he's been in the last half of the season. I hoped for some improvement after the AS break and it hasn't materialized.

When you look at Nurse's WOWY he is making every defenceman worse.

These are CA/60 with and without Nurse. First number is with, second without.

SEKERA, ANDREJ 60.61 57.2
CLENDENING, ADAM 64.81 52.95
GRYBA, ERIC 53.44 56.73
FAYNE, MARK 67.11 55.74
DAVIDSON, BRANDON 60 50.14
KLEFBOM, OSCAR 75.79 50.79

The only one he doesn't make worse is Gryba because he's even worse at defending than Darnell. Davidson has the exact opposite effect on every partner. Before this season I thought Nurse could be a top pairing defence. I'll be happy with a steady 4-5 at this point. He does not read the game well, has poor positioning and does not have a good stick. Nurse has been the biggest disappointment of the season for me.

There is a very good chance Nurse will be pushed off the team next year. Right now I have Oesterle and Reinhart ahead of him. Davidson considerably so.

I see a lot of the same things you do but there are some factors that come in to play. First and foremost, he basically made the jump straight from juniors to the big club with a few games in Bako in between. That's a monster jump as far as the speed of the game and that can wreak havoc on a young guys ability to read the play and make smart decision lightning quick. Secondly he's been playing too many minutes for a young guy and it wore him and his confidence down. Finally he's had zero consistency with defensive partners and minus Sekera has played with a cast of borderline NHL defenseman who barely have more experience then he does.

Next year if they can pair him with a stable veteran partner playing 18 minutes a night, you will see his confidence grow and his game start to come together. His skating is tremendous and when he keeps it simple his defensive game is solid.

 

[IV XIV XCI]

Like any team, our mid range D will/would become much better players for us if somehow we had a guy or two who was actually better than them playing in the harder roles. Sekera has not been the guy and should not be considered anything better than a 5-6 for as long as he remains an oiler. If we find two players better and older than nurse next season and we get steady improvements from klef, davidson, oesterle, then we will be a proper breeding ground for success for darnell.

if PC cant find those two pieces this off season then i believe nurse should have 30 more games in bakersfield

 

[shoop]

Like any team, our mid range D will/would become much better players for us if somehow we had a guy or two who was actually better than them playing in the harder roles. Sekera has not been the guy and should not be considered anything better than a 5-6 for as long as he remains an oiler. If we find two players better and older than nurse next season and we get steady improvements from klef, davidson, oesterle, then we will be a proper breeding ground for success for darnell.

if PC cant find those two pieces this off season then i believe nurse should have 30 more games in bakersfield

You make anumber of good points. But Sekera as a 5/6 is a bit much. Sekera is a solid second pairing guy. He can anchor the second pairing. A little overpaid for that role. Not as overpaid as he'd be on the third pairing.

I agree about Nurse. I'd like to see the team commit to leaving him in Bako until at least the Christmas break next year.

 

[frag2]

I think it's a "little" too early to be writing Nurse off as a #4/5 dman who'll likely be pushed off the team next year.

Pardon my French... but I think that actually borders on bat**** crazy.

He's still very young (especially for a dman) and progression in many dmen isn't linear... it's often a step forward... 2 steps back... a leap forward... a step back... etc.

Time (more games played)
Patience (including coaches that don't throw him to the wolves with 23+ minutes a night)
Better overall team D.

Those 3 ingredients will make Nurse a much better all around dman than what we are seeing now.


My optimistic guess is that he's seen as the Oilers most improved player by this time next season. I won't go so far as to say "book it" with that prediction but I think it has a very good chance of happening.

With Nurse, he's either gonna have to play borderline top pairing to standout. His game is a cluster**** the last few months. I don't disagree with him being overplayed and probably battling through exhaustion.

He needs to settle down big time. I was constantly *****ing about Davidson earlier in the year, with his poor decision making [ie. do I dump the puck now or do I skate up a bit further and then dump?] but he's impressed me a lot more than Nurse. Nurse doesn't know when to pinch and doesn't know who to cover more often than not.

The NHL pace is too much for him IMO and he's better suited to the AHL for the time being.

Here's hoping the off season, he makes huge adjustments. I think he needs to realize he's at a stage where he doesn't always have to make an impact. Just play simple and calm game.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

Was there a play where mcdavid was using maroon as a pic through the neutral zone while stick handling behind his skates so the two defenders couldn't check him?

I think they're might have been.