Value of: Jettisoning Darnell Nurse

hockeyguy0022

Registered User
Feb 20, 2016
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The problem is, no one wants to actually play Nurse, he's a liability, so if you really don't care about winning for a couple years, then sure, it's not so bad. but you teams have to actually want a guy to play ultimately, until a reasonable buyout.

Oil needs to give up a couple of good top end prospects, or draft picks (which they don't really have currently)

40-50% retention, plus Savoie, or a first round pick, or another prospect.

Something like that might make someone bite, the flames even...
 
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BoldNewLettuce

Esquire
Dec 21, 2008
28,212
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I dont know -- you look at some of the contracts that just came out for Skjei, and Montour-- I think Nurse's contract is now within shouting distance of his actual value.

Like I think I'd rather have Nurse then Skjei and/or Montour.

That said his pure physical talent is not enough to be a top pair defender and his mental game is too inconsistent. But he did play some decent playoff hockey and is a competitor--just still inconsistent.

I think they need to consider cap moves for Drai and McD extensions but if they trade Nurse they will instantly need a top 4 D.

Someone had posted Nurse for Trouba or somehow getting Parayko in a 3 way which makes some sense. But shockingly I may be of the opinion they should keep him.
 

Double Dion

Jets fan 28/06/2014
Feb 9, 2011
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So many dumb takes ITT. He's a very solid 2nd pairing guy who any GM would take at 5m. He's just grossly overpaid. Those offers at 50% with the oilers adding value are beyond ridiculous.
He's the B half of a second pairing. A #4 defenseman who struggles defensively, but can play physical and produce as a #3 offensively. He can't defend. He's been like this his entire career. They need another Ekholm so they can have one babysit Bouchard and one babysit Nurse. Let those two play to their strengths. Defending is a bad look on both guys.

If we could move Nurse, Brodin would be my ideal target. Not that Minnesota is selling Brodin or "buying" Nurse for that matter
Brodin would be a very good fit. Anyone like that who can defend and still move the puck adequately would be a perfect fit. Nurse would look a lot better beside a partner like that.
 
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kilowatt

the vibes are not immaculate
Jan 1, 2009
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Rob Blake thinks he can fix him and is willing to pay top dollar by bidding against himself
 

McSuper

5-14-6-1
Jun 16, 2012
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Wait, why would EDM want to get rid of Nurse? I was told he was MUCH better than Brodin....
By whom ? A blind man and his dog. A team needs Nurse like they need a hole in their head. See as Edmonton don't have a first they can trade as the pick isn't locked in yet , to move Nurse it would take.

Nurse
Edmonton 3 top prospects
Plus at least a few million retained.

Nurse salary drops in 2 year but 6 million dollar bonus kick in. Maybe 2 year from now after his bonus is paid July 1st

2026 July 1st ofter bonus is paid 2 million
2027 1.2 million plus 6 million bonus = 7.2
2028 the same as 2027 = 7.2
2029 the same as 2027 and 2028 = 7.2
Total for the 4 years. = 23.6 million

Retain 25% = 5.9 million so total would be 17.7 million over 4 years.

For F sakes he getting paid 12 million this year. Holland must of been on some kind of powerful drugs.

Lesson to be learned for other GMs don't do drugs and sign players.

 
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Vasilevskiy

The cat will be back
Dec 30, 2008
18,096
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I dont know -- you look at some of the contracts that just came out for Skjei, and Montour-- I think Nurse's contract is now within shouting distance of his actual value.

Like I think I'd rather have Nurse then Skjei and/or Montour.

That said his pure physical talent is not enough to be a top pair defender and his mental game is too inconsistent. But he did play some decent playoff hockey and is a competitor--just still inconsistent.

I think they need to consider cap moves for Drai and McD extensions but if they trade Nurse they will instantly need a top 4 D.

Someone had posted Nurse for Trouba or somehow getting Parayko in a 3 way which makes some sense. But shockingly I may be of the opinion they should keep him.
Skjei is miles better than Nurse.

You're stuck with him. And his value is miles off his contract and you know it, don't lie to yourself
 
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Double Dion

Jets fan 28/06/2014
Feb 9, 2011
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Maybe Edmonton should trade him to Buffalo. They'd probably need to attach Petrov but they'd get Kulich back.
 

57special

Posting the right way since 2012.
Sep 5, 2012
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So many dumb takes ITT. He's a very solid 2nd pairing guy who any GM would take at 5m. He's just grossly overpaid. Those offers at 50% with the oilers adding value are beyond ridiculous.
Not the words i would use to describe his play, and i was a fan of his for quite a while. Some very good tools, but his decision making leaves a lot to be desired.
 
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Mr Positive

Cap Crunch Incoming
Nov 20, 2013
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There is no chance of this happening. Nurse has a full NMC so good luck finding a team he will go to and that wants the project. It's also a ton of retention and it quickly gets to a point where there is no benefit to moving him. He hurts us at 9.25 but what sense is there in moving that if we have to retain have of it? If we retain what it takes to move him it's just trading "overpayment dead cap" for "retention dead cap". There is no benefit. For this we have to pay for the privilege?

There is only one solution to this. We need to upgrade our 2nd pair RD. Nurse has elevated his play a lot when he plays with certain types of Dmen. I think Ceci is still, for now, better than young Broberg but Nurse looked better with Broberg. So... what the Oilers priority should be is to a veteran right shot version of what Broberg is.
 
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McShogun99

Registered User
Aug 30, 2009
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If you look at the deals signed by UFA defensemen this summer, I believe most GM's would consider Nurse a $6M defenseman at worst. If the Oilers were willing to eat 40%, we would have teams interested in making a trade without adding value.
When Nurse signed his contract it was a perfect storm for him. GM's were signing 1st pairing Dmen for around 9 million and he just came off his best season but even then everyone knew it was an overpay except Holland.
 

Mr Positive

Cap Crunch Incoming
Nov 20, 2013
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If you look at the deals signed by UFA defensemen this summer, I believe most GM's would consider Nurse a $6M defenseman at worst. If the Oilers were willing to eat 40%, we would have teams interested in making a trade without adding value.
Yes... and then we give up a good defenseman and have to have all this dead cap too? It's not happening

I'd rather have the dead cap of his overpayment rather than the dead cap of his retention.

Get him a new partner. Also, it's not Stecher. This is why I don't give Jackson an A+. We are great at forward but it looks like another season of Nurse-Ceci
 
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57special

Posting the right way since 2012.
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He's had consistency issues recently, for sure. I think he is trying to do too much. I have felt like this since 22/23 when his pairing with Ceci struggled.
I wonder if he would be a really good dman if he had been developed on a solid defensive team like NSH, or if that is simply making excuses for him. I'm with you that he tries to do too much, but is that letting him off the hook? It's one thing to get beaten - that happens to every Dman - but he seems oblivious out there at times.
 

ManofSteel55

Registered User
Aug 15, 2013
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When Nurse signed his contract it was a perfect storm for him. GM's were signing 1st pairing Dmen for around 9 million and he just came off his best season but even then everyone knew it was an overpay except Holland.
It was an overpay for what Nurse had done in every season but that one most recent season. You're right though, that perfect storm of his huge, unsustainable goal output, Hamilton/Jones/Werenski signing huge, similar deals, the Oilers losing Klefbom to injury, and the Oilers' bridging Nurse up to his UFA year - they really did give Nurse all the ammunition he needed to get that deal. If they didn't give it to him, they likely would have lost him to free agency, at which point we would have had Duncan Keith as our #1 defenseman.

Fast forward to today, and he's likely a $6 - 7M defenseman making 9.25M. So negative value, but I think the biggest issue in moving him is the NMC, not the perceived lack of value in the player and contract.

I wonder if he would be a really good dman if he had been developed on a solid defensive team like NSH, or if that is simply making excuses for him. I'm with you that he tries to do too much, but is that letting him off the hook? It's one thing to get beaten - that happens to every Dman - but he seems oblivious out there at times.
I think he is a good defenseman when he isn't trying to do too much. Consistency is his biggest issue. He will go for long stretches where he looks great, and then he will have a pile of games where he is beaten regularly and costs the team chances (and goals). I also think he needs a different type of partner than what he has had - he looked much better in the playoffs with Broberg than he did with Ceci or Desharnais, which tells me that he needs someone who can move the puck a bit and be more active in defensive zone checking to be more effective.
 
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Hockeypete49

How you like me now!
Mar 22, 2009
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His draft year the Flyers showed some videos of their draft prep and one had them talking about Nurse. They did not like him. His IQ was one of their issues. They took big Sam Morin that year who would have a better player if not for injuries.
 

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