2024–25 Edmonton Oilers Player Grades: Darnell Nurse

Darnell Nurse’s strengths in 2024–25

Retaining the title of not only Edmonton’s highest-paid defenceman but also among the highest in the league sets reasonably high expectations. For as much as his detractors point out flaws, there are several quality staples within Nurse’s game that routinely benefit Edmonton.

Though not necessarily noticed for his offensive side of the game, Darnell is either at the top or within the upper echelon in several categories. For instance, Nurse was second in team points, behind only Bouchard at 5v5, as well as being second in individual expected goals, actually underperforming in this category by three fewer goals than scoring chances allowed.

In addition, Darnell finished with the 11th in shots generated by a defenceman, or totaled the seventh highest defenceman rush attempts, providing a source of offence from the blue line by holding the puck, allowing Edmonton to enter the zone and retain position to set up offensively.

Known more for his defensive side, Nurse is a stalwart on the blue line, routinely assigned to the gritty, tough battles and penalty killing. Compared to the rest of the team, Darnell lived up to these expectations, continuously sacrificing his body to make the play, leading the team in both shot blocks and hits. League-wide, this places Nurse 11th for hits, an underrated part of the game that allows him to separate the opposing forward from the puck.

Darnell Nurse’s weaknesses in 2024–25

Given his high-value contract and efficient offensive play, both his anti-fans and warts are generally front and centre away from the puck. From the playoffs, against a fast, physical team that was relentless on the forecheck, two items routinely stuck out: defensive zone retrievals and zone outs via first passes.

Florida finished every check, and was extremely physical on Edmonton’s defenceman, but by the end of the Cup Final, Nurse unfortunately was turning the puck over in the defensive zone and routinely missing the first pass, providing icings which prolonged shifts and led to multiple dangerous chances against an aged, tired Oilers team.

Defensively, although Nurse was greatly relied on to anchor the penalty kill, it was a routine sore spot. Among the team’s defence, he led the team in most goals against shorthanded, additionally leading the team in allowing the most high-danger goals against with 11.

Now is this the result of lowest SV% by Oiler netminders when penalty killing or it is likely more due to Nurse’s propensity to flatten himself down low beside the goalie, blocking the cross ice pass but positionally reducing himself to a prone pylon if the puck generates a rebound, or leaves greater than a stick’s length radius away from his body.

Per MoneyPuck.com, Edmonton was marginally better with him on the ice than off compared to his counterparts. For instance, studying the underlying xG% metric, which offers a fairly accurate picture of a player’s performance regardless of goaltending. Among Oiler defenceman, Nurse ranked fifth at 5v5, generating an xG% of 54.6%, which, though very good by standards relative to 50% benchline, but, still allowed 63 expected goals against, second-most on the team.

Darnell Nurse 2024–25 performance review

Although he has his struggles as noted above, Darnell still represents a very solid defenceman with upside. Is he ever going to repeat the 2020–21 season, where he recorded 36 points in 56 games? I would suggest that’s highly unlikely. Not only is that the highest PDO “Puck Luck” per season, but it is also the only season he ever shot above 6%, nearly doubling that mark at 10.32%.

For his career, Nurse has been a roughly 30-point defenceman, averaging eight goals and 22 assists, aligning close to his 2024–25 performance. As noted, he underperformed in terms of goals relative to his shot quality by three, but overall has blended his offensive game into a defensive stalwart, who wins puck battles with his physicality, but who had his warts throughout the regular season. Altogether, it justifies a fairly average season, whom sustained high levels of play during the regular season but could not continue the momentum into the playoffs.

Darnell Nurse 2024–25 player grade

Acknowledging the negativity surrounding the player, most fans would rather see a “TR” for traded rather than an actual letter grade. But, I believe Nurse played strong enough to warrant a C+/B- grade. I know this is a grade most fans will probably not agree with me on—especially with the contract value. But when Nurse signed his extension, his contract accounted for 11.2% of the cap, a number now totalling 9.7% going into the 2025–26 season, and is only projected to dwindle as the salary cap grows.

When Ekholm sustained injuries and Bouchard was playing through a particularly cold offensive spell, it was the pairing of Kulak and Nurse, and later Walman and Nurse, that carried the Oilers into the postseason. For all his criticism, Nurse continues to expand his role into the offensive game, scoring timely goals and committing himself to ensuring the puck stays out of the net. If the penalty kill rebounds to form next year, I am assuming Nurse will be a large part, given his key role.

Darnell Nurse expectations for 2025–26

One of the larger questions heading into next season pertains to how Edmonton’s defence core is deployed, particularly in the top-four and depending on Ekholm’s health. During the regular season, although it was Stecher and Kulak whom he primarily played with in the playoffs, Nurse showed really strong promise at five on five with Jake Walman. Indicated via Corsi, controlling 60.8% of shots, the highest among all Oiler pairings above 100 minutes TOI. Secondly, this also translated into actual results, with the pairing controlling 80% of the goal share, being on ice for eight goals for, versus two against.

I expect a resurgent, determined Nurse to come into training camp, invigorated by back-to-back Cup Final losses and events of the offseason, leaving a bitter taste that proves to Oilers fans how valuable he is to the team. Based on the past three years, it would not surprise me to suggest that he eclipses the 35-point plateau for the fifth time in his career, netting nine goals and 27 assists, the three-year averages he has sustained over the past seasons of play.