Value of: Jettisoning Darnell Nurse

[hockeyguy0022]

See if anyone will trade for him... see if he agrees.

If not, send him to minors and pay him there (if they can with NMC)

or, convert him to a winger.

Those are the options. He cost the oil easily 4-5 games this playoffs. Might go different playing a few less games.

 

[n8]

4-1st and 50% retained and its a solid maybe

You would not be far off except for the fact that he has 3 more years of NMC.
Marleau's 1 year $6.25M cap got eaten by Carolina for not just a 1st, but a 13OA (Seth Jarvis if you were wondering. I'm ignoring the 6th + 7th involved)

So if Nurse magically waived his NMC, the trading team is committing to $4.625M AAV for 6 years. Potentially committing to Nurse on their roster until he's 35+ or paying for the buyout.

There'd have to be some GM out there who really respects and values Nurse's play to be willing to take on his contract. Or have an equally bad contract to do a "change of scenery" trade and hope for the best.

 

[biturbo19]

Despite all the criticism, I do think Nurse is decent.... at 6M. So if Edmonton were willing to hold salary and deal their 1st, they'd probably find a taker. It wouldn't be a good return but frankly, 3-4M in dead cap and 5M in usable cap is better.

I really don't know how Edmonton is going to make their cap work. You've got Draisaitl likely closing in on Mathews money (if not exceeding it), McDavid has to be in the 15M range and then you have Bouchard. Sure, that last one is a RFA but he's absolutely getting paid.

I think even at $6M Nurse is a serious problem for a team. You can't trust him. He can't anchor any pairing. He's just all over the place. He needs a "babysitter".

Retaining $3M on him...for the rest of eternity, you just aren't going to fix things though. That's the value of an entire solid #4/5D all by itself...just gone and dead.

But also...the Oilers have to figure out how to fit everything. It's not going to be pretty.

They gave him a full NMC in addition to this ridiculous term and AAV?

Jesus Christ was there any negotiation at all?

The negotiations were, "yes, you scored a ton of goals playing exclusively with McDavey and Draisaitl" and here's your next entire rest of your hockey career paid out in exchange. Which was so moronic.

 

[n8]

See if anyone will trade for him... see if he agrees.

If not, send him to minors and pay him there (if they can with NMC)

or, convert him to a winger.

Those are the options. He cost the oil easily 4-5 games this playoffs. Might go different playing a few less games.

They cannot. It's the whole purpose of having a NMC over a NTC

 

[hockeyguy0022]

They cannot. It's the whole purpose of having a NMC over a NTC

Can you just healthy scratch him for the whole season? What's the oil person for Robidais island?

Just keep him off the ice.

 

[wingsfan17]

I think Nurse's ideal D partner would be somebody like Seider.

I don't know if DET would bite, but it would probably start with EDM having to swap Nurse and Ceci for Chiarot and Holl. Maybe a Copp and McLeod swap added in as well.

Whether that's a 3 for 3 trade, or whether somebody is adding a pick or prospect, I don't know.

Adding Nurse might create a LD log-jam... Edvinsson, Nurse, Johansson, Wallinder, Buium.

Yeah, I’m sure Yzerman is super interested in Nurse after having to package a 2nd to get rid of Walman. Even if one of the awful contracts was going back (Holl, Chiarot, Copp) at least those guys have 2-3 year left under contract. Nurse has SIX. I gotta imagine Edmonton would have to retain close to 50% to move him anywhere, and even then I’m not sure what the “value” would be.

 

[n8]

Can you just healthy scratch him for the whole season? What's the oil person for Robidais island?

Just keep him off the ice.

Yes but the OP's point was the Oilers need that cap space to push their team over the edge and riding pine does not save you any cap.

 

[hockeyguy0022]

Yes but the OP's point was they Oilers need that cap space to push their team over the edge and riding pine does not save you any cap.

Giordano on league min, probably wins the cup for the oil, as they play 3-5 less playoffs games from Nurses mistakes.

So I mean, the margin is like 800K difference.

I don't see anyone wanting nurse unless he converts to forward, then maybe. He's not even AHL level hockey IQ.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

I think even at $6M Nurse is a serious problem for a team. You can't trust him. He can't anchor any pairing. He's just all over the place. He needs a "babysitter".

Retaining $3M on him...for the rest of eternity, you just aren't going to fix things though. That's the value of an entire solid #4/5D all by itself...just gone and dead.

But also...the Oilers have to figure out how to fit everything. It's not going to be pretty.

Yeah. It's more making the best out of a terrible situation because there's no chance in hell they move Nurse's full contract. Then again, if you told me LA would get out of PLD without a buyout, I'd have lost money.

 

[hockeyguy0022]

He has to agree to a trade as well...

Can they trade for a player who isn't even playing like shea weber or someone worth less cap space? How many of those guys are even around?

 

[Some Other Flame]

Full NMC and good friends with McDavid. He's not going anywhere for at least 2 more years

 

[DJN21]

Ill speak for all sabres fans and say we are out. Good luck though.

 

[biturbo19]

Yeah. It's more making the best out of a terrible situation because there's no chance in hell they move Nurse's full contract. Then again, if you told me LA would get out of PLD without a buyout, I'd have lost money.

I think the big difference with the PLD contract is...there's still a belief that if you can get him playing to his capability, he's a stud. He's played that way before. He can do it. That's within his range. If he feels like it he can be a dominating Top-6 Center.

Nurse is like...he can't. He just cannot do it. He plays Top-4 minutes and it's not the effort that comes and goes...it's the brainwaves. They just abandon him way too much. He just does the most idiotic things on the ice even when he's playing "at his peak". And again, it's not effort...it's just...he does dumb things when he's at max effort.

Dubois at max effort is very good and doesn't do dumb things. He does dumb things when he's checked out.


Which problem do you think you can fix more? That's the gamble.

Both are bad gambles, but i understand the Dubois one more. If you can get him straightened out at all...he's way better. But even if you have to "bury" a 2C in soft as butter matchups...that's a lot easier than trying to bury Nurse at his insane cap hit.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

He was 5th in ice time in a critical game 7 on an Oilers blue line that includes Ceci and isn’t exactly stacked.
Who is going to take on that contract for a bottom pairing guy whose play is declining?

 

[FSL KINGS]

Retain half & see if there is a place he'll agree to waive his NMC. Freeing up 4.6 cap oilers will be able to add a D that can defend.

At 4.6 Oilers might find a decent team, Nurse would waive for to take him. He can still be physical & has a shot, but should probably be sheltered defensively.

Can't get that image of him on the ice in the crease trying to block that shot with his rear, out of my head. How does this happen.

 

[bringbacktheskate604]

Despite all the criticism, I do think Nurse is decent.... at 6M. So if Edmonton were willing to hold salary and deal their 1st, they'd probably find a taker. It wouldn't be a good return but frankly, 3-4M in dead cap and 5M in usable cap is better.

I really don't know how Edmonton is going to make their cap work. You've got Draisaitl likely closing in on Mathews money (if not exceeding it), McDavid has to be in the 15M range and then you have Bouchard. Sure, that last one is a RFA but he's absolutely getting paid.

Bouchard put up a lot of points in the playoffs and I know I'll get called a hater but take away McDrai and the pp and what's left is a guy not great defensively and prone to a lot of mistakes. Nurse got paid and it was a massive mistake and it came off the backs of McDrai. Bouchard is walking a similar path and with Nurse setting the bar it's a tough situation.

 

[bringbacktheskate604]

Retain half & see if there is a place he'll agree to waive his NMC. Freeing up 4.6 cap oilers will be able to add a D that can defend.

At 4.6 Oilers might find a decent team, Nurse would waive for to take him. He can still be physical & has a shot, but should probably be sheltered defensively.

Can't get that image of him on the ice in the crease trying to block that shot with his rear, out of my head. How does this happen.

Retaining half makes no sense imo.
Whoever you sign for the other half isn't going to be a huge improvement and your stuck with almost 5 million in dead cap.

Oilers are stuck with him and it's going to impede them a ton trying to remain cup or bust when Mcdrai will be taking 30 million in cap.

 

[FSL KINGS]

Retaining half makes no sense imo.
Whoever you sign for the other half isn't going to be a huge improvement and your stuck with almost 5 million in dead cap.

Oilers are stuck with him and it's going to impede them a ton trying to remain cup or bust when Mcdrai will be taking 30 million in cap.

Disagree. Oilers could get a defensive D that's physical for that money. They don't need his offense. They need a defenseman to make simple & correct plays in the D-zone.

 

[Hobnobs]

Caps seems to be garbage dumping right now since they dont care about year 3 onwards according to their fans on here. They probably take him.

 

[Cancuks]

Oilers will have to retain 50% or make a 1 for 1 trade for another overpaid player with term like Huberdeau.

 

[Mr Kot]

Jesus Christ was there any negotiation at all?

Holland just slipped him a piece of blank paper and told him to write a number on it

 

[tabness]

After seeing the Jake Walman trade, looks like it might be bad news for EDM.

Yzerman did the deal with Wallman to punish the Oilers for demoting his buddy Holland up by ensuring it's even harder to get rid of Nurse's contract

 

[Dazed and Confused]

The ideal partner for someone like Nurse would actually be...someone like Christopher Tanev. A guy who can sit there like..."i have absolutely no idea what my partner is doing right now or why, but i'm going to adjust myself to compensate and hedge against the impending calamity". And like Tanev, can process all that in a split second...because Nurse is capable of making instantly bad decisions.


He made Ben Hutton look competent for a minute. Hutton plays a lot like Nurse. Skates well skilled, does a lot of dynamic things. Also...sometimes...no clue what their brain misfunction is.

Tanev is good at covering for that.


Seider is dynamic and at times even overly aggressively himself. That's one of those "fuel + match" recipes that is hugely nope.

Honestly Tanev is someone that I don't think would fit well with Nurse. It's For the same reason it didn't work with Nurse next to Larsson: Even if he has the talent, Nurse can't be the main offensive catalyst on a pairing.


What Nurse can do an outstanding job at is covering for a defenceman who's good in transition, but a train wreck defensively. For example, Nurse managed to make Barrie, a guy who was more or less tied onto a rail car and ran out of town in Toronto, into a successful top pairing option during the Covid year. He also did similar work making Bear look like a legitimate top 4 option before Covid hit.

But both of those guys were good at puck retrievals and headmaning the puck themselves. It why even in these playoffs, where he was an endless negative playing with Ceci or Vinny, he was suddenly a +5 in 7 games vs. the best of the West and East playing with Kulak and Broberg on their offside.
Hell, his best hockey in the regular season came while playing with Stecher.


It's unintuitive af, but you'd get way more mileage out of pairing Nurse with a guy like Sean Walker or even Gostisbehere, than you would having Nurse together with Tanev,

 

[Djp]

Yikes....

Sounds and looks insane but could almost make the argument they should buy him out for those first 2 years savings and go all in, that might be their cup window anyway honestly.

I honestly think they will buy him out if they trade/ lose McDavid in 2026.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

To visualize this for EDM :

Hopkins - McDavid - Hyman
Kane - Draisaitl - Bourgault
(Henrique/Foegele) - Copp - Holloway
(UFA) - (UFA) - Ryan
13F = Lavoie
14F = Caggiula

Ekholm - Bouchard
Kulak - Broberg
(UFA) - Holl ---> dump ---> (UFA)
7D = Chiarot

Skinner
Rodrigue / Campbell


You can also immediately trade Holl (50% retained) to Anaheim for a 7th round pick or future considerations. Replace him with a 3rd pairing cheap UFA. Chiarot expires in 2026. Holl or the 50% retention on Holl expires in 2026. Copp expires in 2027. This does solve Edmonton's cap problems related to overpaying Nurse, but EDM has to wait 2 years to get the majority of the cap relief, and 3 years to get all of it. They can only get $1.7m cap relief (minus the cost of a league minimum replacement) right away by dumping Holl with full retention, which isn't much, but hey, it's something.

Wings do not want or need Nurse from what we saw in the postseason. Especially if he’s making more than Larkin. That’s crazy.