The Edmonton Oilers getting out to a slow start has become an expectation for fans at this point, but one defender has struggled a bit more than others, and that’s Darnell Nurse. He has been a key contributor to the Oilers’ success over the course of his career, but as time goes on and the team tries to compete for a Stanley Cup, he has become more of a liability than a trusted player on the blue line.
Related: Oilers’ Pundit Bluntly Rips Evan Bouchard Following Tough Game Against Islanders
First off, let’s look at the positives. With the puck on his stick, Nurse is effective. He has the confidence to carry the puck and jump up on the rush offensively, which has been one of his biggest strengths over the course of his career. It helps that he has a physical side too and isn’t scared to drop the gloves and fight if it means firing up the rest of his team.
Unfortunately, that’s where it ends for Nurse. His defensive mindset hasn’t been strong; he has been giving pucks away along the wall, and his decision-making has been questionable. His game against the New Jersey Devils recently was not good whatsoever, and he stood out as one of the reasons the team lost the game.
NHL GameScore Impact Card for Edmonton Oilers on 2025-10-18: pic.twitter.com/7nZmraNmbk
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) October 18, 2025
Nurse has faced plenty of criticism over the past few seasons, mainly because of his large cap hit that makes him one of the highest-paid defenders in the NHL. He has been outplayed by Evan Bouchard on a nightly basis, who has earned the “number one” defender role with the team, and it can be argued that Nurse has slipped further down the depth chart early in the season.
The biggest issue with Nurse seems to be his consistency. He has had games previously where he is one of the most dominant two-way players on the ice, and he can score goals as he jumps into the rush, but he seems to have lost a lot of confidence early in the season, and it shows with both the eye test and in the analytical side of things.
Even in their recent loss to the Detroit Red Wings, he didn’t have a strong showing.
NHL GameScore Impact Card for Edmonton Oilers on 2025-10-19: pic.twitter.com/ytbWrVa2f5
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) October 19, 2025
The criticism is unfortunately warranted because he has yet to play a solid game out of the gates to start the 2025-26 campaign. There is always a chance he turns it around and finds a way to silence anyone who has been picking him apart, but he has not had a strong showing early on.
Nurse’s Contract Forces Oilers’ Hand
The solution for a player not playing well is usually to consider trading them or sending them down, but the no-movement clause attached to Nurse’s $9.25 million contract until the 2027-28 season forces the team to keep him around before it changes to a 10-team no-trade list. Even when it becomes a possibility to trade him, moving a contract that large can prove to be difficult.
It’s an unfortunate reality for the Oilers who seem to be out of sync over the past couple of games, and Nurse seems to be the biggest issue at this moment. There is always the option of making him a healthy scratch to give him a wake-up call, but that doesn’t seem like a possibility under head coach Kris Knoblauch.
Right now, their best option is to try and figure out which defensive partner he works with the best and try to shelter his ice time, until they have the choice of trading him.
As the 2025-26 season moves along, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news, updates, and more from around the NHL and the hockey world.
