The Oil drop logo will stay on the chest of Darnell Nurse for a very long time – at least until 2029-30 if the front office has their way.
First reported by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Oilers have signed Nurse to an eight-year deal worth $9.25-million per season.
The deal shows truly how much GM Ken Holland and company values his contributions as one of the franchise’s top blueliners.
In Nurse’s six seasons with the Oilers, the Canadian has developed into a consistent presence among the team’s top two defensive pairings and has always been one of the more physical players on the roster.
In 2020-21, Nurse recorded a career-high of 16 goals while playing in all 56 regular-season games.
In Edmonton’s series against Winnipeg, Nurse was relied upon heavily, highlighted by his 62:07 in ice time in Game 4. Only Sergei Zubov and Seth Jones have seen more ice time in a single game since the start of the tracking of the stat.
Should Ken Holland be paying Nurse over nine million for his services? Only a select few rear-guards in the league are making north of nine million in the league, but Nurse was a player the team couldn’t let go.
The money and moves to shore up the blueline in Edmonton this summer have been one of the major storylines of the off-season. We’ll have to see how it all comes together in October.
