Oilers rumors: Darnell Nurse gets scathing review from former-coach

It was a disappointing end to the 2025-26 NHL season for the Edmonton Oilers, who failed to return to the Stanley Cup Final for what would have been the third straight season. Instead, they were eliminated in the Western Conference Quarterfinal by the Anaheim Ducks.

Now, Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse is finding himself embroiled in trade rumors despite his hefty yearly salary of $9.25 million. While Nurse has caught plenty of criticism from fans for his questionable play in tight defensive situations, an unnamed former coach of Nurse’s is speaking his mind about what he felt was Nurse’s lack of hockey sense.

“I felt that he was receptive with the info that I was giving him at the time, but it never transferred into his play during the games,” the anonymous coach said via Sportsnet. “Especially when pressure was ramped up. He always gave you the feeling that he saw himself more as an offensive defenceman and would make some terrible reads with and without puck at critical times in games. Hockey sense was always a concern for me.”

According to Sportsnet, there were internal discussions amongst the Oilers coaching staff of making Nurse a healthy scratch during the 2024 Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers, a series Edmonton ultimately lost in seven games.

Nurse was selected by the Oilers in the first round (seventh overall pick) of the 2013 NHL Draft, and would make his NHL debut in the 2014-15 NHL season while also suiting up for the AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors. In 798 career NHL games, Nurse has scored 88 goals with 236 assists for 324 points.

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