Darnell Nurse is taking a beating from both Edmonton Oilers fans and analysts as frustrations mount over his sluggish start to the season. By no means has he been the only problem on this roster, but his detractors are pointing to alarming defensive metrics, a lack of offensive impact, and costly penalties that have magnified Edmonton’s early struggles.

With three goals and seven points in 21 games, Nurse is a plus/minus of -8. He's playing over 20 minutes per night, and the Oilers need him to be better. 

After Monday's game against the Buffalo Sabres, where Nurse was among the more problematic players in a very lacklustre group of Oilers, social media had a heyday discussing how his play has fallen well below expectations for a top-four defenceman — especially one carrying a massive contract ($9.25 million per season).

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Thanks to his contract and tendency to do too much on the ice, Nurse has often been polarizing. However, the vitriol has intensified as the numbers continue to look less favorable as the season rolls along. Nurse is being outplayed in nearly every situation, fueling debate about his role, usage, and future with the team.

Frankly, the pressure has reached a boiling point, and the reaction across Oilers Nation is nothing short of fierce. 

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Kevin McCurdy: "So being a guy that loves to torture myself with numbers, I was just doing some poking around NST. Darnell Nurse w/o 97 and 29: ZERO GOALS FOR AND ELEVEN AGAINST."

Jesse Corville Lynch, "Trading Darnell Nurse solves every issue the Edmonton Oilers have. #LetsGoOilers" His post led to several comments in the thread about how Nurse's contract is untradable and that the Oilers are stuck with one of the worst deals in the NHL. 

Paul Almeida writes, "Nurse should be sitting right now. July 1. 2027 can’t come fast enough when Nurse's contract goes from a full NMC to a modified NMC with a 10-team no-trade clause."

PuckMarks writes, "Darnell Nurse has been absolutely brutal so far this season. He’s not generating his usual offence, getting caved in defensively and taking way too many penalties. This contract is truly disastrous and keeps having worse and worse consequences."

Author of Connor McDavid: Hockey's Next Great One, Rob Soria: "The most troubling part with this Oilers lineup, no matter who Nurse plays with...he looks terrible. The blue line as a collective has been poor to start the season, but Darnell is hitting new lows."

Jonathan Willis: "From 2022-25, 153 NHL defencemen played at least three hours in 4v5 situations. Seven of them were on the ice for more goals against/hour than Darnell Nurse. 145 of them were on for fewer."From Mr. Bandana: "At some point, maybe someone with a microphone will talk about the fact that Darnell Nurse has been on the ice for 188 scoring chances against so far this year That is the second most in the entire NHL. No other Oiler is in the top 20."

Jonathan Willis: "From 2022-25, 153 NHL defencemen played at least three hours in 4v5 situations. Seven of them were on the ice for more goals against/hour than Darnell Nurse. 145 of them were on for fewer."

From Mr. Bandana: "At some point, maybe someone with a microphone will talk about the fact that Darnell Nurse has been on the ice for 188 scoring chances against so far this year. That is the second most in the entire NHL. No other Oiler is in the top 20."

Add it all up, and it’s clear the heat on Nurse is real, intense, and growing. Fans used to suggest his lack of a true top-four playing partner might explain his inconsistencies. The narrative has flipped, and now Nurse is being blamed for the shortcomings of the pairings he's on. 

Whether he rebounds — or becomes a bigger storyline this season — is now one of Edmonton’s biggest questions. As Edmonton stumbles through another uneven stretch, the veteran defenceman has become a focal point of frustration — and the numbers behind his play aren’t helping his case.

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