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NHL insider on Darnell Nurse’s struggles: ‘I have wondered if all the noise has gotten to him’
Photo credit: © James Guillory-Imagn Images
If you’re a defenceman who makes a lot of money and plays for the Edmonton Oilers, you’re likely to be the talk of the town more often than not. And recently, it has been for all the wrong reasons.
Both Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse are prime examples of that, lightning rods for criticism in this market. It has really felt like a measuring contest these past few weeks about who can get the most heat from the fanbase.
Nurse has been dealing with it longer than Bouchard since he signed an eight-year, $74 million contract with an AAV of $9.25 million in 2021. It is not just Oilers fans who constantly bring up his contract when discussing the player. Everyone in the hockey world loves to mention how much he makes and how he is not worth the money.
Elliotte Friedman and Bob Stauffer briefly discussed on Oilers NOW on Tuesday afternoon how poor Edmonton’s defence has been to start the year. For context, it began with Stauffer mentioning Brett Kulak, Jake Walman, and Nurse, and how concerning their play has been. However, Nurse was singled out more than the others, with Friedman sharing his thoughts on him.
Stauffer: Nurse for me is not the player he was several years ago. He was an emotive player, he was a guy who would grab somebody.Friedman: I have to tell you, Bob, I have wondered if all the noise has gotten to him. I wondered that.There were some rumours last week. Some people said to me last week that they were hearing Paul Coffey might be coming back, and I looked into that and was told that was not the case.I think if this does not clean up, you are going to start hearing more theories on what they are going to do about this.Stauffer: It is funny about the noise because I think the criticism, and people can correct me if they disagree, I think the criticism is more directed towards Bouchard than Nurse.I think Bouch gets way more than Nurse does. I might say this, I wonder if it is not the fans who are more critical of Nurse, but some of the media are more critical of Bouchard.Friedman: One thing I will say about Bouchard is this… I think he is able to shrug it off more than most guys. That is what I have heard about him.
Comments like those will raise eyebrows around Oilersnation. Fans have speculated for a while now about what it would take to move on from Nurse and how much more it would benefit the team if they did not have that $9.25 million contract on the books.
Currently, fans and media alike are wondering how the Oilers will emerge from this rut of inconsistent results. Their record is eerily similar to last year’s at this time. In 2024, they were 9-8-2 with 20 points. This year, they are 9-8-4 with 22 points.
And if results continue to sputter the way they have been, more speculation and theories will emerge about why things are this ugly for the Edmonton Oilers. Many will point to the goaltending, defence, and scoring, but some wonder if there is more happening between the players’ ears than they are willing to show.
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