If I knew who Doug Olive was I’d track him down and smack him across the back of the head.
He actually had the gall to call Darnell Nurse a “third pairing defenceman:”
"Darnell is at best a third pairing defenceman….."
What part of Darnell Nurse is a third-pairing defenceman, exactly? The part where he leads the Edmonton Oilers in both ice time (23:58 per game average), and +/- (+13)? Is it the part where he’s the second leading scoring d-man on the Edmonton Oilers, second only to Tyson Barrie who plays easier competition?
How about the part where he’s fourth on the team in hits (79)? How about the part where he leads the Edmonton Oilersin blocked shots by a country mile with 86 (the second is Brett Kulak with 70)?
Or the part where he’s second on the team in PK TOI/game with 2:54, second only to Cody Ceci? How about the part where he’s eighth on the team in PP TOI/game with 57 seconds a game?
Maybe it’s the part where he’s tied with Klim Kostin for PIMs on the season with 38?
How about the fact that he’s a monster 6’4″ and 221 lbs in size? Or the fact that he’s 27 and in the prime of his career?
This is one of the stupidest takes on theEdmonton Oilers I’ve ever read. If that’s a “third pairing defenceman” then 30 teams across the NHL are going to have to get permission to clone Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes because those are the only two players who would qualify as top-pairing d-man in old Dougie’s world.