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The $74 Million Mistake That's Still Haunting the Oilers' Stanley Cup Dreams is Revealed

Originally posted on Hockey Latest | By Daniel Lucente | Last updated Jun 21, 2025 11:29 AM ET

Social media X user 'Big Head Hockey' pointed out that Oilers' Darnell Nurse earns more money than some elite NHL players, which is hurting the team's success.

Darnell Nurse is a physical presence at 6'4' and 215 lbs., but his $9.25 million cap hit is a heavier burden for the Edmonton Oilers. Signed in 2022 to an eight-year, $74 million contract, Nurse's deal runs through 2030, deep into his projected prime.

The Athletic's Dom Luszczyszyn graded it the ninth-worst NHL deal at signing, opining that Nurse's on-ice contribution was worth more like $5.9 million per year.

The Oilers could have saved almost $30 million with Nurse's true value contract

The gap, over $3 million per year, works out to an estimated $27 million of cap excess over the life of the contract.

The issue isn't just financial. Nurse has dropped on the depth chart, losing his first-pairing status to Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard, as well as most of his power-play and penalty kill minutes.

His plus-minus has declined, his puck control remains suspect, and his defensive decision-making has become a liability, especially in clutch-postseason games that we recently saw.

What's more concerning for Edmonton, though, is the effect on their roster flexibility. The Oilers are now forced to re-sign Bouchard, with estimates suggesting a deal in excess of $10 million annually.

Having two defenders earning upwards of $9 million each is a luxury not many teams can handle, particularly one who is only playing like an upper-pairing player.

Nurse's inflated contract is hamstringing the Oilers' ability to build the depth necessary to make a championship run.

Edmonton, with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl playing at their highest level, can't squander their Cup window on one high-priced contract that would lock up cap space better spent elsewhere.

This article first appeared on Hockey Latest and was syndicated with permission.

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