The Edmonton Oilers decided to draft a defenseman in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, taking Darnell Nurse seventh-overall. He was one of the top defensive prospects, and spent multiple years trying to make it through training camp and into the NHL.
It took him three years to finally get a shot as a full time NHL-er this past season. Nurse played in 69 games, finishing with 10 points (three goals, seven assists), 60 PIM and a minus-13 rating. He also had 120 total shots and skated an average of 20:14 minutes per game. wit
Though it wasn’t the most impressive rookie season for Nurse, he showed a lot of positive signs and proved to be one of Edmonton’s most promising defensive prospects.
Nurse Brings the Pain
The one thing that Nurse did fairly well was engage full physicality and brutality. He had 160 hits and averaged 6.9 hits per 60. The 6-foot-4, 213-pound defender also got into four NHL fights this past season, winning half of them. He even had the guts to take on newest teammate Milan Lucic, but would unfortunately lose that fight.
Nurse brought physicality night in and night out, and was one of the toughest Oilers defenders to match up against. He has size and strength, and the ability to throw huge hits that will stop the offensive rush.
His physicality, however, did go a bit overboard, and earned the 21-year-old a three-game suspension in early March, after he went after San Jose Sharks defenseman Roman Polak, who was covered in blood by the time Nurse finished with him. However, Nurse still stood by his actions, saying he was going to stand up for his teammates.
Despite the rough suspension, Nurse’s attitude is the right one for the Oilers going forward, and his toughness is something that will help the team flourish.
He Struggled With Possession
Nurse’s biggest struggle was with puck possession, and it showed in his stats. His -5.8 relative Corsi was far from impressive, and his Corsi for was well under 50 percent, and he also had 43 giveaways for 13 takeaways to boot. These stats did not prove impressive, and in the end, he had to make up for his mistakes with strong defense.
He ended up with 103 shot blocks and blocked 4.4 shots per 60, proving to be pretty strong on that bottom pairing when it came to actual defensive plays, but he needs to improve and look after the puck.
Nurse struggles with turnovers, but thankfully, there is a lot of room for improvement, and he proves able to fix his game. He has a lot of size and knows how to play defensively, making big plays and blocking shots, but he just needs to learn how to either play an all-around game, or be able to start the offensive breakout. Thankfully, he can learn from Adam Larsson and Oscar Klefbom, and with competition on the Oilers’ left side, Nurse will have to earn a roster spot.
Offensive Offside
Despite Nurse’s rather low point totals, he has a lot of potential and offensive upside. He had an average of 5.9 shots per 60 this past season, and proved able to rip it from the point.
If Nurse can combine his size and physicality and put it into his offensive ability, he is going to be an asset for years to come in the NHL. Head Coach Todd McLellan can be an instrumental player in his development, and help him become not only better defensively, but offensively as well, making him a strong two-way, all-around defender.
The bottom line is that Nurse still has a lot of room for improvement, and he is still young. I think his sophomore year will be a breakout that will define him for years to come.