Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse has been cleared from injury and is set to get into some pre-season action, head coach Kris Knoblauch said Monday.

The bench boss said after Monday’s 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks that it’s yet to be determined just how much of the final two games Nurse will play in.

“He has been cleared, he can play,” he said. “He’s been participating in every single drill, and has been physical, he feels well.

“We have to be cautious putting him in the lineup and overextending him where he’s playing 25 minutes in the first game, 25 minutes the next night. I don’t think that would be good. We’d be cognizant if he played both games, we’d have to make sure his minutes stay lower and not overdo it, or do we just play him in one game. That’s something we’ll decide tomorrow.”

The Oilers have two exhibition games remaining, set to take on the Seattle Kraken Wednesday night, and the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night.

Nurse hasn’t played in any of the Oilers’ six games so far, instead rehabilitating an oblique/core injury he suffered during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers. Nurse took a hard hit from Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues, playing just four minutes in that game.

It’s great news for the team that the blue liner is set to get into some action this week before the regular season kicks off on Oct. 9 against the Winnipeg Jets. Ahead of the 2023-24 season, defenceman Mattias Ekholm missed all of the pre-season and the first game of the regular season due to injury, and he took weeks before he was up to speed.

For Nurse, who will have a new defensive partner this season with Cody Ceci being traded to the San Jose Sharks, it will be key for him to get acquainted in the pre-season. He’s likely to start with Ty Emberson on his right side, whom the Oilers acquired in the Ceci deal.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.