{"id":445965,"date":"2024-07-24T11:12:44","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T15:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=445965"},"modified":"2024-07-23T22:25:50","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T02:25:50","slug":"the-edmonton-oilers-have-a-darnell-nurse-sized-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/07\/24\/the-edmonton-oilers-have-a-darnell-nurse-sized-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"The Edmonton Oilers Have a Darnell Nurse Sized Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

At 6\u20194\u201d inches and 215 lbs., Darnell Nurse<\/a> is a big man. He has a big leadership role on the Edmonton Oilers and a big eight-year, $9.25 million per year contract to match. All of this is a going to be a huge problem going forward for the Edmonton Oilers.<\/p>\n

Nurse\u2019s Contract Poses a Problem For the Oilers<\/h2>\n

Nurse signed an 8-year $74 million contract in 2022<\/a>.\u00a0It expires in 2030, when Nurse will be 35. The annual cap hit is $9.25 million through the length of the contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n2022-23<\/strong><\/td>\n2023-24<\/strong><\/td>\nBUY OUT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

2024-25<\/strong><\/td>\n

BUY OUT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

2025-26<\/strong><\/td>\n

BUY OUT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

2026-27<\/strong><\/td>\n

BUY OUT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

2027-28<\/strong><\/td>\n

BUY OUT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

2028-29<\/strong><\/td>\n

BUY OUT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

2029-30<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

CAP HIT<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AAV<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n$9,250,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
BASE<\/td>\n$12,000,000<\/td>\n$10,400,000<\/td>\n$12,000,000<\/td>\n$10,000,000<\/td>\n$2,000,000<\/td>\n$1,200,000<\/td>\n$1,200,000<\/td>\n$1,200,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PERFORMANCE BONUSES<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SIGNING BONUSES<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n$6,000,000<\/td>\n$6,000,000<\/td>\n$6,000,000<\/td>\n$6,000,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
TOTAL SALARY<\/td>\n$12,000,000<\/td>\n$10,400,000<\/td>\n$12,000,000<\/td>\n$10,000,000<\/td>\n$8,000,000<\/td>\n$7,200,000<\/td>\n$7,200,000<\/td>\n$7,200,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MINORS SALARY<\/td>\n$12,000,000<\/td>\n$10,400,000<\/td>\n$12,000,000<\/td>\n$10,000,000<\/td>\n$8,000,000<\/td>\n$7,200,000<\/td>\n$7,200,000<\/td>\n$7,200,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CLAUSES<\/td>\nNMC<\/td>\nNMC<\/td>\nNMC<\/td>\nNMC<\/td>\nNMC<\/td>\nNMC<\/td>\nNMC<\/td>\nNMC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Athletic<\/em>‘s Dom Luszczyszyn<\/a>\u00a0(paid subscription required) calls it the ninth worse contract in the NHL.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest problem here is that Nurse was never a $9.25 million defenseman to begin with \u2014 that just happened to be the price tag for a lot of young defensemen who were at the time. Nurse played a similar role, but his results weren\u2019t anywhere close. Now the Oilers are paying for that.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to Luszczyszyn, Nurse’s on-ice performance last season was worth $5.9 million. That\u2019s based on regular season data. It doesn\u2019t include the poor playoff Nurse had this year.<\/a> And it\u2019s further complicated by terms that make it almost impossible to move, as we\u2019ll see below.<\/p>\n

Declining Performance<\/h3>\n

Here are Nurse\u2019s stats from the year before he signed his deal and the two years after<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Season<\/strong><\/td>\nTeam<\/strong><\/td>\nGames Played<\/strong><\/td>\nGoals<\/strong><\/td>\nAssists<\/strong><\/td>\nPoints<\/strong><\/td>\nAverage Ice Time<\/strong><\/td>\nPlus<\/strong><\/p>\n

\/Minus<\/strong><\/td>\n

Penalty Minutes<\/strong><\/td>\nShots on Goal<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021-22<\/td>\nEDM<\/td>\n71<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n26<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n25:03<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n132<\/td>\n196<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2022-23<\/td>\nEDM<\/td>\n82<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n43<\/td>\n23:30<\/td>\n26<\/td>\n164<\/td>\n146<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2023-24<\/td>\nEDM<\/td>\n81<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n22<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n21:54<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n172<\/td>\n168<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

What stands out is both the reduced ice time and plummeting plus minus figures. First, Nurse lost his first pair position on the team to Mattias Ekholm<\/a> and Evan Bouchard<\/a>. Then, he lost much of his powerplay and short-handed ice time as well.<\/p>\n

Nurse is a shell of the player we saw play in the in the playoffs just two years ago. In this year\u2019s playoffs, he played a second pairing role. First, the coaches tried him with Codi Ceci. That didn\u2019t work. Second, they tried him with Vinnie Desharnais. Next up was Brett Kulak<\/a>. None of those pairings went well, so they paired him with the untested Phillip Broberg. It got so bad, they trusted Broberg to play on his tougher off side of the ice instead of the veteran Nurse.<\/p>\n

At times, Nurse played on the third pairing. He struggled with gap control on the rush. Nurse didn\u2019t block attackers out, allowing them inside body position on the forecheck and in front of the net. He made poor mental decisions. The Oilers were outscored 21-10 with Nurse on the ice. He \u201cled\u201d the NHL in poor plus\/minus stats, at one point threatening to put up the worst numbers in Stanley Cup playoff history.<\/p>\n

Other Teams Have $9 Million Defencemen<\/h3>\n

Nurse\u2019s contract terms were decided by the market when he signed it in 2022. Seth Jones of the Chicago Blackhawks<\/a>\u00a0and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a> signed for very similar numbers as Nurse\u2019s that year. The Oilers had no option but to match, or they could have lost him to free agency for nothing.<\/p>\n

One problem is that Nurse is no longer a first-pair defenceman. Another is the contract due Evan Bouchard in the 2025-26 season. Estimates put it at around $10 million per season. How many teams have two defencemen with salaries over $9 million? \u00a0Here, I\u2019ll get a cup of coffee for you while I wait. What\u2019s that? Done already?<\/p>\n

The Colorado Avalanche<\/a> (Cale Makar<\/a> and Devon Toews<\/a>) and the New York Rangers<\/a> (Adam Fox<\/a> and Jacob Trouba<\/a>) are the closest, and the Rangers are actively trying to trade Trouba.<\/p>\n

You simply can\u2019t have both Nurse and Bouchard making over $9 million. Especially when only one of them is a true first-pair defenceman. The Oilers got into the Nurse contract trouble by having to offer him two short-term bridge contracts until his current one due to salary cap restraints. And now they\u2019re in danger of entering the same situation with Bouchard again because of Nurse\u2019s contract. The Oilers need to lock Bouchard up long term when his contract expires in 2025, not give him another bridge contract and see him walk at the end of it because they can\u2019t fit him in under the cap. Nurse\u2019s contract terms could mean they end up having to trade a first-pair defenceman, Bouchard, in order to keep a player of lesser ability, Nurse, simply due to the latter\u2019s contract terms.<\/p>\n

The Available Options: A Buyout, A Trade, or Sending Nurse to the Minors<\/h3>\n

A Buyout Is Next to Impossible<\/h4>\n

Here is how CapFriendly<\/a> breaks down Nurse\u2019s contract:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n