Oilers find solution to Darnell Nurse's past three playoff woes
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
Though Darnell Nurse's post-season ineffectiveness has become painfully obvious over the last three playoff runs, when paired with one D-man in particular, Nurse's game excels.
Most statistics, however, show that Darnell Nurse, when paired with many of Edmonton's other defenseman, performs poorly in the playoffs.
Comparing Nurse's major contributions to his major mistakes, a statistic that gauge's a player's overall impact, shows he was at the bottom tier among all Oilers' defenseman.
During the 2025 playoffs, Nurse committed 58 major mistakes per 27 major contributions, while in the 2024 playoffs, he committed 63 major mistakes per 21 major contributions.
Yet, during the regular season, Darnell Nurse tops most statistics, in particular when paired with Jake Walman, his likely D-partner, as analyst and hockey writer David Staples believes.
"The best bet is to pair up Nurse with Jake Walman. The two had great success last year in both the regular season (eight goals for, two against), and the playoffs (three goals for, one against).
Walman is keen to play the right side and he's an adept player, so much so he'd be on the top pairing of about half of all NHL teams. Stan Bowman made a steal of a deal getting him for a late first round pick, at least if the Oilers are able to sign up Walman.
Walman is keen to play the right side and he's an adept player, so much so he'd be on the top pairing of about half of all NHL teams. Stan Bowman made a steal of a deal getting him for a late first round pick, at least if the Oilers are able to sign up Walman.
The key to this, however, is to have Nurse and Walman paired-up consistently. They must find momentum over the course of an entire regular season and then build on that going into the playoffs.
Beyond next season, though, Jake Walman is set to become a free agent. It will be necessary for GM Stan Bowman to secure the stud defenseman for as long as possible before he becomes a UFA, so as to provide stability and continuity on the team's blueline.
Given Darnell Nurse's importance to the Oilers, in particular in light of his $9.25M AAV over the next four years and his success alongside Nurse, locking-up Jake Walman as the 2D pairing is essential to club's current and long-term success.
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