Buyout-Proof: Darnell Nurse’s Extra Protection
The Edmonton Oilers made a huge commitment to Darnell Nurse yesterday, signing the 26-year-old defenseman to an eight-year contract extension. The $74MM contract doesn’t even kick in until the 2022-23 season, meaning it will keep him employed until 2030. The $9.25MM cap hit is currently the fifth-highest among NHL defensemen, but the average annual value isn’t the only thing to negotiate when it comes to career-defining contracts.
The contract also includes a full no-movement clause through the 2026-27 season, and a modified no-trade clause through the final three years. Nurse will be able to submit a list of ten teams he would accept a trade to during those final few years, but that’s actually not the only protection built into the deal. For that, the full salary breakdown is needed (via CapFriendly):
- 2022-23: $12.0MM salary
- 2023-24: $10.4MM salary
- 2024-25: $12.0MM salary
- 2025-26: $10.0MM salary
- 2026-27: $2.0MM salary + $6.0MM signing bonus
- 2027-28: $1.2MM salary + $6.0MM signing bonus
- 2028-29: $1.2MM salary + $6.0MM signing bonus
- 2029-30: $1.2MM salary + $6.0MM signing bonus
The combination of a contract being front-loaded and then filled with signing bonuses creates another sort of protection for Nurse. After the halfway point, it essentially can’t be bought out. The cap savings would be negligible at that point, meaning the defenseman will almost certainly see this new deal play out regardless of how he performs down the line.
For instance, if the team tried to buy the deal out in June 2026, they would still face cap hits of $7.72MM in 2026-27 and $8.52MM in each of the next three years. As it gets closer to the end of the term, the cap savings would be even less. That means if things go sour, Edmonton would need to pull the trigger early to get any real relief, like the Minnesota Wild recently did with Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, but that would still result in some painful cap penalties without a player to show for it.
This isn’t the first time the league has seen contracts structured in a way to prevent buyouts. In the summer of 2016, just a few days after free agency opened, PHR published a piece examining how Loui Eriksson‘s deal (and several others signed that day) was essentially buyout-proof. As we enter the final season of that six-year, $36MM deal, Eriksson is still technically active but was scratched for basically the entire 2020-21 campaign. He played just seven games for the Vancouver Canucks this year and has just 14 points over the past two seasons. Despite his obvious struggles, there wasn’t a way to clear his contract off the books–at least not without trading him.
Edmonton could now face that same situation if Nurse’s play declines a few years from now. It’s a gamble, an especially risky one to take a year out from Nurse reaching unrestricted free agency. In 2022-23, the Oilers’ defenseman will be earning the same amount of money as Connor McDavid, whose eight-year, $100MM contract was only slightly front-loaded. The team is making a huge investment in the short term, hoping to find some success in the postseason.
Darnell Nurse Signs Eight-Year Extension
The Edmonton Oilers may have lost Adam Larsson to the Seattle Kraken, but won’t be letting Darnell Nurse get anywhere close to free agency. The team has signed their top defenseman to an eight-year contract extension, which, when added to the one-year he has left on his current deal, keeps him locked up through the 2029-30 season. Nurse’s average annual value will increase to $9.25MM for the 2022-23 season, giving him the fifth-highest cap hit among NHL defensemen, coming in just below the recent extensions for Zach Werenski and Seth Jones.
Nurse, 26, was the seventh-overall selection in the 2013 draft, picked three spots behind Jones and just ahead of Philadelphia’s Rasmus Ristolainen. During his 406 regular season games, he has recorded 157 points and averaged more than 22 minutes of ice time. Both of those numbers have increased dramatically recently though, with Nurse recording an outstanding 16-goal, 36-point campaign in 2020-21. That was good enough for seventh in the Norris Trophy race, the first time he had received votes for the award.
This is betting that the increased level of play Nurse showed this year will continue, but it’s also locking up a player who has never wavered in his commitment to the Oilers. The team has had trouble keeping or attracting premium free agents in the past, which Nurse would have represented had he been allowed to play out this season. He was scheduled for UFA status in the summer of 2022, where teams from all over the league likely would have offered large, long-term deals.
Still, this bet comes with a ton of risk for Edmonton. Nurse has never had very strong defensive metrics, and though he adds a lot of the things teams covet—size, skating ability, physicality and offense—it hasn’t resulted in any real success for the Oilers. He’s played just 21 postseason games during his career, 13 of those coming in the 2016-17 season and four being the qualification round from 2020. All of that has come when Nurse was making quite a bit less than he will be going forward, meaning he’ll have to improve his play to provide any real excess value for Edmonton.
Of course, there is quite a bit of money coming off the books for the Oilers next season. Mikko Koskinen‘s $4.5MM cap hit will expire, as will contracts for both Kyle Turris and Kris Russell. After the 2022-23 season the team will no longer be paying Milan Lucic (retained) and Andrej Sekera (buyout) to not play for them. A deal of this magnitude doesn’t put them in cap hell, but it certainly will restrict what they can do with that extra space.
The question now is how the rest of the blueline will look in Edmonton this season, with newcomers Duncan Keith and Cody Ceci joining the fray. The team has its presumed top-four locked up through at least the 2022-23 season, though the emergence of Evan Bouchard as a difference-maker while still on his entry-level deal would certainly help.
By next season Nurse will become the second-highest paid player on the Oilers, surpassing the $8.5MM that Leon Draisaitl‘s contract carries through 2024-25. That comes with plenty of expectations, especially on a team that has also has the best player in the world. With this much money being handed out, there will have to be some postseason success and it’ll have to come soon.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
West Notes: Zadorov, Kesler, Nurse, Khaira, Blackhawks Cap
The fact that Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov was among the 17 players to file for salary arbitration on Sunday raised some eyebrows considering he has been with Calgary for all of a few days. However, his agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star released a statement via Twitter outlining that the short time since the move played a role in the filing:
We filed for arbitration on Nikita Zadorov’s behalf simply because the trade was recent and there wasn’t enough time to negotiate new contract with Calgary Flames. Discussions are ongoing and both sides are hopeful to have a contract in place soon.
The potential for an arbitration award that was too rich for Chicago’s liking played a role in Zadorov being traded and the Flames are certainly conscious of that. However, we’re still another week and a half away from hearings beginning so there is still ample time to get a deal done. Zadorov was qualified at $3.2MM and will get more than that on his next deal.
More from the Western Conference:
- After seeing Chicago pick up Tyler Johnson and a draft pick for Brent Seabrook’s whose playing days have come to an end, the Ducks have told teams they’re open to doing a deal like that involving Ryan Kesler who is in the same situation, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in the latest 31 Thoughts podcast (audio link). Kesler is entering the final year of his contract that carries a $6.875MM AAV and could be acquired to add to a teams’ LTIR pool while sending out some sort of salary offset that ultimately frees up some cap space, allowing Anaheim to add something for someone that isn’t going to play for them.
- In the same podcast, Friedman reports that the Oilers are now focused on a max-term extension for defenseman Darnell Nurse. Previously, the expectation was a medium-term deal but with Dougie Hamilton’s contract with New Jersey setting the market, a long-term pact in the $9MM range appears to be the target for the 26-year-old who is coming off his top season that saw him collect 16 goals and 20 assists in 56 games while logging over 25 minutes a night.
- Blackhawks forward Jujhar Khaira told reporters, including John Dietz of the Daily Herald, that he had multiple teams show interest in him in free agency. Edmonton declined to tender a $1.3MM qualifying offer and the 26-year-old wasn’t able to get that on the open market, ultimately taking a two-year deal worth $975K. With just 21 points over the last two seasons, Khaira’s limited production limits him to a fourth-line role so a pay cut was likely for him though he managed to secure a second year at least.
- Still with Chicago, Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman spoke with the media today and told reporters, including Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (Twitter link) that they don’t have to make any salary-cap-related moves to open up some space. They still have to re-sign young forwards Brandon Hagel and Alex Nylander and are about $3MM below their LTIR ceiling, per CapFriendly, with goalies Malcolm Subban and Collin Delia presumed to be off the roster either by waivers or trade. That would lock in short-term deals for Nylander and Hagel to keep cap compliant but otherwise, it could be a quiet rest of the summer for them.
Trade Deadline Primer: Edmonton Oilers
Although we’re just two months into the season, the trade deadline is already less than a month away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Edmonton Oilers.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle standing between the Edmonton Oilers and their longest playoff run in the Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl era is not their North Division competition, but their lack of cap space. The Oilers are ready to be all-out buyers and compete for a Stanley Cup, but they lack the cap space to do much at all. They are already using Long Term Injured Reserve space and even most of that is already chewed up. Any trade will either have to see salary go the other way or be paired with another transaction to shed salary.
The Oilers have been bold in their waivers decisions this year, placing the likes of James Neal, Alex Chiasson, and Jujhar Khaira among others on the wire. Neal will require waivers again after two more games played, but is not a realistic waiver claim candidate anyhow. Plus, Neal’s off-roster status is currently reflected in their still-lacking cap space. Chiasson and Khaira though would require waivers again to be moved off the roster and there is reason to be believe that the Oilers may not risk it a second time. Could Zack Kassian be the next name they take a chance with? Signed to a long-term contract with a significant amount of salary, Kassian is probably unlikely to be claimed and could open up some space. He appears to have lost his top-six role and may be worth the risk.
The fact that a contender must consider risking their starting players on waivers to open up enough space to add different starting players just shows the dire cap situation in Edmonton. Add in the team’s lack of 2021 draft picks and an organizational philosophy that has been opposed to trading top prospects and it may be difficult for the Oilers to make a big move. With that said, they will find a way to make some sort of addition or two.
Record
20-13-0, .606, 3rd in North Division
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$0MM in full-season space (LTIR), 1/3 retention slots used, 48/50 contracts used per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2021: EDM 1st, EDM 4th, EDM 6th, PIT 6th, EDM 7th
2022: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th
Trade Chips
The Oilers’ best chance at adding an impact forward to their roster is by moving out salary to offset the addition. Although the Edmonton blue line may not seem like a top unit in the NHL, they are very deep which could make a roster defenseman expendable. Especially considering the impending Expansion Draft, which could cost the Oilers a young roster defenseman anyhow, there is some added incentive to deal from the blue line. 23-year-old Ethan Bear, who was trending upward heading into this season, has hit a wall in his development instead, recording just three points thus far, seeing a career low in ice time, and even sitting a few games as a healthy scratch. Bear still undoubtedly has value and could be the Oilers’ top trade chip, if they’re willing to move him. Competing for the No. 6 defenseman role for Edmonton this year has been William Lagesson, 25, and Caleb Jones, 23, who like Bear will each be restricted free agents after the 2021-22 season and are eligible for selection in the Expansion Draft. While Jones may have more upside, Lagesson has been the preferred player of the coaching staff due to his superior defense, even recently playing a top-four role. Jones’ contract is also slightly more expensive, which could be considered. Assuming the Oilers use the 7-3 protection scheme in the Expansion Draft and Darnell Nurse and Oscar Klefbom (though not a lock) are protected, only one of these three young defensemen can join them. However, only one can be selected as well. That works out to one of the trio being expendable in a deadline move, especially with top prospects like Evan Bouchard and Philip Broberg pushing up the pipeline as well.
The Oilers don’t have the same depth up front, but as previously mentioned have been willing to take risks on waivers this season to gain cap flexibility. If they feel Chiasson or Kassian are unlikely to clear waivers, they could shop either one to open up space or potentially in a swap. They could also look at moving some of their fringe forward to teams with a greater need for depth beyond their starting group.
Either as a sweetener to move another contract or as part of a return if they’re able to open up cap space, the Oilers will also have to consider moving some of their prospects. Tyler Benson, who has been more talk than walk as a pro prospect for Edmonton, may need a change of scenery after years of being unable to earn a full-time role with the NHL club. Cooper Marody, tearing up the AHL this year and having earned some NHL experience last year, could also be an attractive name. While Bouchard, Broberg, and Dylan Holloway are likely untouchable, would Edmonton consider moving other top prospects like Raphael Lavoie, Ryan McLeod, or Matej Blumel? Would they dip into their deep group of young goaltenders, such as Stuart Skinner, Dylan Wells, Olivier Rodrigue, or Ilya Konovalov?
Others to Watch For: D Dmitri Samorukov ($825K, 2022 RFA), D Markus Niemelainen ($817.5K, 2022 RFA), F Gaetan Haas ($915K, UFA), F Patrick Russell ($700K, UFA)
Team Needs
1) Affordable Top-Six Forward – It may seem strange for the Oilers’ biggest need to be at forward. Edmonton is a top-ten team in goals per game, shots per game, and power play efficiency – arguably a top-five offense in hockey. Yet, that offensive production is heavily skewed towards just two players: McDavid and Draisaitl. A quick look at the depth chart also clearly shows that the team lacks quality top-six wingers, with players who should be above-average bottom-six players instead slotted as below-average top-six forwards. McDavid and Draisaitl deserve to have more talent around them, a need that has plagued the Oilers for years. Additionally, Edmonton faces a path to the NHL’s final four this season that goes through Winnipeg, a team with defensive issues, and Toronto, a team with goaltending issues. In a battle of three elite offenses, the North Division is likely to go to the team that can simply outscore the others. Right now, that isn’t Edmonton, but it wouldn’t take much to shift the scales.
The caveat of course is that without some cap gymnastics, the Oilers cannot be players for any of the high-priced forwards on the rental market (or any market for that matter). The focus must be on bargain buys, adding players who can produce at a high level while being paid at a low level. Among rentals, Bobby Ryan, Erik Haula, Carl Soderberg, or old friend Sam Gagner (yet again) could all fit the bill. Among players with an additional year of term, possibly more attractive anyway, Vladislav Namestnikov, Calle Jarnkrok, Rocco Grimaldi, Curtis Lazar, and Colin Blackwell are all intriguing options. If available, L.A.’s Alex Iafallo is likely the very best value addition.
2) Depth Forward – On the off chance that Edmonton has the cap space and a contract slot left, they could make another move and it should again be up front. Depth is key in the postseason and the Oilers simply don’t have it at forward. They could stand to add some playoff experience, defensive ability, and if possible top-six upside in an established veteran forward. While goaltending continues to be a major long-term need of the Oilers, solving that problem in-season given all of the factors working against such deal make it extremely unlikely.
Snapshots: Lightning, Robertson, Blackhawks, Ehlers, Nurse
The Tampa Bay Lightning is traveling to Toronto, but will be doing so without their star defenseman. Victor Hedman will not be traveling with the team, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith, due to personal reasons at his own request. However, he is expected to meet up with the team on Friday and is expected to participate in all three round-robin games. The blueliner did practice Saturday and is expected to work with strength coach Mark Lambert. He is expected to be tested regularly while in Tampa Bay.
The team did release its roster as NHL.com’s Bryan Burns reports that the team will only bring 28 players with them to Toronto. Including the team’s normal 25-man roster, the team is only adding forwards Mathieu Joseph, Alexander Volkov and goaltender Scott Wedgewood.
Also, head coach Jon Cooper said that Steven Stamkos remains day-to-day and is not expected to participate in the exhibition game, according to Smith. The veteran is hoping to be more involved in practice once the team gets to Toronto. “It’s still in the window of time to get him back,” said Cooper.
- TSN’s Mark Masters writes that if 19-year-old Nick Robertson hopes to get into the Toronto Maple Leafs playoff lineup, he must show that he can be comfortable on the ice in their upcoming exhibition game. The team’s 2019 second-round pick had an impressive junior campaign and has impressed the team enough to keep him on the playoff roster for the upcoming 24-team tournament. What might be more surprising is that the youngster continues to get third-line looks during practice. “He needs to look comfortable,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “He needs to make an impact on the game, be it through his work ethic and enthusiasm or his ability to create some offence and capitalize when he gets chances. All those kinds of things … We’re just really looking to see if he can be comfortable and be himself and then see how it all sorts itself out in terms our other players.”
- Brandon Cain of NHL.com reports that the Chicago Blackhawks will take four goaltenders with them to Edmonton for the upcoming 24-team tournament. That is necessary due to the status of veteran Corey Crawford, who recently admitted he tested positive for COVID-19 and missed the first 12 days of training camp. While he has been cleared and participated in a full practice Saturday, that doesn’t mean he’s in game shape for the tournament. The team also will bring Malcolm Subban, Collin Delia and Kevin Lankinen.
- NHL.com’s Mitchell Clinton reports that Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who was forced to leave Thursday’s scrimmage due to an undisclosed injury, was back at practice Saturday before the team leaves for Edmonton. He is expected to take on a second-line role with the team after scoring 25 goals in 71 games this year.
- Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that Edmonton Oilers fans don’t need to worry about the fact that defenseman Darnell Nurse was forced to sit out Saturday’s team scrimmage with an undisclosed injury. The scribe described the injury as something he “tweaked” during practice earlier in the week. He’s expected to be ready to go.
NHL Announces Player Gaming Challenge
The NHL is trying desperately to stay relevant even as their season sits in limbo and have today announced a new feature for fans to tune into. The NHL Player Gaming Challenge will be a tournament of EA SPORTS NHL 20 games featuring players from each of the 32 organizations. The tournament will go for four weeks starting on April 30th. The league and EA will donate a combined $100,000 in support of COVID-19 relief.
Because the Seattle expansion franchise doesn’t have any players to represent them at this point, Luke Willson from the Seattle Seahawks of the NHL will carry the torch.
The full list of participants:
Anaheim Ducks: Cam Fowler
Arizona Coyotes: Conor Garland, Clayton Keller
Boston Bruins: Jake Debrusk, Charlie McAvoy
Buffalo Sabres: Brandon Montour
Calgary Flames: Noah Hanifin, Matthew Tkachuk
Carolina Hurricanes: Warren Foegele
Chicago Blackhawks: Drake Caggiula, Alex DeBrincat
Columbus Blue Jackets: Elvis Merzlikins, Zach Werenski
Colorado Avalanche: J.T. Compher
Dallas Stars: Stephen Johns, Jamie Oleksiak
Detroit Redwings: Madison Bowey, Anthony Mantha
Edmonton Oilers: Caleb Jones, Darnell Nurse
Florida Panthers: Jonathan Huberdeau
Los Angeles Kings: Michael Amadio, Blake Lizotte
Minnesota Wild: Devan Dubnyk, Jordan Greenway
Montreal Canadiens: Victor Mete, Nick Suzuki
Nashville Predators: Filip Forsberg
New Jersey Devils: MacKenzie Blackwood
New York Islanders: Matt Martin
New York Rangers: Chris Kreider
NHL Seattle: Luke Willson, Seattle Seahawks (NFL)
Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk, Chris Tierney
Philadelphia Flyers: James van Riemsdyk
Pittsburgh Penguins: Zach Aston-Reese, Bryan Rust
San Jose Sharks: Evander Kane, Marcus Sorensen
St Louis Blues: Colton Parayko, Robert Thomas
Tampa Bay Lightning: Tyler Johnson
Toronto Maple Leafs: Zach Hyman
Vancouver Canucks: Thatcher Demko, Adam Gaudette
Vegas Golden Knights: Ryan Reaves, Alex Tuch
Washington Capitals: Evgeny Kuznetsov
Winnipeg Jets: Anthony Bitetto, Kyle Connor
Select games can be seen on NBC Sports and Sportsnet ONE. All matches will also air within NHL Network’s on-air programming or its Twitch channel.
Five Key Stories: 02/10/20 – 02/16/20
Can you really pick just five? In a news cycle in which superstar Erik Karlsson being ruled out for the season doesn’t even crack the top ten headlines, here are the five most important stories (admittedly with some other notes sprinkled in) of the week that was:
Bouwmeester Suffers Cardiac Incident: The hockey world stood still on Tuesday night, after the game between the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks was suspended under very scary circumstances. Veteran defenseman Jay Bouwmeester suffered a “cardiac event” while on the bench during the first period of the contest, collapsing onto the ground. Bouwmeester required resuscitation by the teams’ training staffs to re-start his heart before he was rushed to the hospital. While awaiting word on his condition, there was an outpouring of support from teams and players in all corners of the hockey world for the well-respected veteran. Fortunately, the team issued a statement that Bouwmeester was in stable condition, followed by a report on Friday that he had undergone successful heart surgery. While questions remain about Bouwmeester’s availability to the reigning Stanley Cup champs this season, as well as the future of the impending free agent’s career, the focus will be on rest and rehabilitation for a while still to come.
Minnesota Fires Boudreau: In 13 seasons as an NHL head coach, Bruce Boudreau has only missed the playoffs twice and those seasons occurred seven years apart. However, one of those seasons was 2018-19 and things were not looking good for a return to the postseason in Minnesota this year. New GM Bill Guerin opted to cut ties with his veteran coach on Friday before he could miss consecutive postseasons for the first time in his career. Assistant Dean Evason was named the interim replacement, while Boudreau will begin looking for a new home – a process that historically has not taken him very long.
Elsewhere in the division, Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice received the opposite treatment, despite similar struggles this season. Already one of the longest-tenured coaches in the NHL, Maurice received a three-year contract extension from the Jets.
Penguins Acquire Zucker: Firing Boudreau was not the only major shake-up in Minnesota this week. Long-time Wild star Jason Zucker was finally traded on Monday after more than a year of speculation, even through front office changes. In the end, he winds up with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the same team that nearly acquired him this summer for Phil Kessel. Former Pittsburgh executive Bill Guerin made good on his major trade as Minnesota GM, landing a 2020 first-round pick, top prospect defenseman Calen Addison, and a capable forward and potential extension candidate in Alex Galchenyuk. Meanwhile, the Penguins add the forward they have been seeking – especially in light of Jake Guentzel’s season-ending injury – in Zucker, a veteran with the speed and skill to keep up with Sidney Crosby and three more years remaining on his contract at a reasonable rate. Zucker scored two goals in just his second game with the Penguins on Friday.
Devils Deal Two Key Players: The trades kept rolling on Sunday with the New Jersey Devils as the center of attention. Another new GM, Tom Fitzgerald, is making good on his promise to maximize the return on tradable assets from the rebuilding club. In two separate deals, the Devils added a first-round pick and second-round pick in 2020, promising forward prospect Nolan Foote, and minor leaguer David Quenneville. Of course, it came at a cost, as long-time captain Andy Greene was dealt to the rival New York Islanders and fan-favorite forward Blake Coleman was moved to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Still, with such strong returns and pieces like Sami Vatanen, Wayne Simmonds, and more expected to go as well, this is the beginning of potentially franchise-altering deadline for New Jersey.
Oilers Extend Nurse: The Edmonton Oilers needed some good news this week, with superstar Connor McDavid out two-to-three weeks with an injury and fellow forward Zack Kassian suspended for seven games. They got it with news of a contract extension for young defenseman Darnell Nurse. Nurse, 25, signed a two-year, $11.2MM deal prior to restricted free agency and a potential arbitration battle this summer. The new AAV for Nurse represents a sizeable salary bump, but for good reason, as he has established himself as a dependable top-pair defender and a point-producer. While the relationship between Nurse and the Oilers was once a concern, it now seems to be in good order, with expectations already that the two sides will negotiate a more long-term extension after next season.
Oilers, Darnell Nurse Sign Contract Extension
Monday: The Oilers have officially announced the Nurse extension. The deal will carry him through the 2021-22 season at a $5.6MM average annual value.
Sunday: Reports had surfaced earlier this week that the Oilers and Darnell Nurse were making progress in discussions for a contract extension. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports (Twitter link) that the two sides are close to finalizing a two-year deal that would carry a cap hit of slightly over $5.5MM. TSN’s Darren Dreger adds (via Twitter) that the AAV will be $5.6MM. That represents a sizable raise over his current $3.2MM salary and cap hit which would have represented his qualifying offer in June.
The 25-year-old has become a fixture on Edmonton’s blueline. He reached the 40-point mark for the first time last season and has a chance of reaching that level again this year. He also ranks second on the team in ice time per game, checking in at 22:46 per night behind only Oscar Klefbom.
On the surface, someone that young and has that much of an impact on the team is someone that the Oilers would seemingly want to sign to a long-term deal, not a second bridge contract that walks him right to unrestricted free agent eligibility in the prime of his career as this deal ultimately does. However, Edmonton’s salary cap situation ultimately made doing that next to impossible.
With this signing, Edmonton will now have a little over $68MM in commitments for 2020-21 to just 13 players. Even with a small increase to the current $81.5MM Upper Limit, that doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room to round out their roster as things currently stand. A long-term pact with a higher AAV would have created an even bigger cap crunch for GM Ken Holland to work with this summer.
However, between now and 2022 when this deal will expire, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Mikko Koskinen, and Adam Larsson could all potentially be off the books if they’re not retained while James Neal will be in the final year of his deal. Between that and a likely higher salary cap by then, that should give Holland some more wiggle room to work with down the road. To that end, McKenzie notes (Twitter link) that the plan at this time is that the plan is to work out a long-term extension with Nurse in the 2021 offseason. However, they are running a risk with this strategy as the allure of hitting the open market at 27 could be difficult for Nurse to ultimately pass up. But for now, they’ll have one of their top blueliners signed for at least the next two seasons.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Edmonton Oilers, Darnell Nurse Discussing Extension
The Edmonton Oilers have finally built some stability in the organization and consistency on the ice, and they’re not willing to give it up anytime soon. The team extended heart-and-soul winger Zack Kassian recently, and now Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that they are working towards a new deal for Darnell Nurse. McKenzie explained the situation on Insider Trading:
Talks have been progressing. Over the last seven to ten days after the Kassian deal was done, the Oilers and Darnell Nurse have had some considerable discussion that seems to be headed in the right direction. Now it’s not by any stretch a done deal but they are making progress.
While McKenzie explains that both sides would want a long-term deal if possible, they might have to settle for a two-year contract somewhere under $6MM per season instead. That’s because of the tight cap situation in Edmonton, where players like Kris Russell and James Neal are still earning big money next season and there are several buyouts on the books. That shouldn’t worry Oilers fans apparently, as McKenzie explains that Nurse “wants to be an Oiler long-term.”
The physical two-way defenseman turns 25 today and has become something of a pillar in Edmonton over the last few seasons. Originally selected seventh overall in 2013 it took a few years for Nurse to really grow into his 6’4″ frame, but now that he has there may not be a more important defenseman on the team. After setting a career-high in points last season with 41, he is in the midst of another good year with 22 in his first 52 games. That comes with 118 hits–only trailing Kassian for the team lead–and nearly 23 minutes of hard working ice time every night.
Anything approaching $6MM may be a reasonable amount to pay for Nurse, but it also will complicate things for the Oilers. The team already has more than $63MM committed to just 13 players for next season, not leaving them a lot of wiggle room to fit in support pieces. Both Matt Benning and Ethan Bear also need new contracts as restricted free agents, while there needs to be an upgrade on the wing up front.
Still, the fact that Nurse wants to stick around bodes well for an organization that has had trouble convincing players to do just that in the past. A long playoff run would only do more to solidify the reputations of Holland and head coach Dave Tippett after so much dysfunction over the last decade-plus.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
West Notes: Markstrom, Koivu, Hunt, Nurse
The Canucks and goaltender Jacob Markstrom have started discussions regarding a contract extension, assistant GM John Weisbrod told Sportsnet 650 (audio link). The 29-year-old has posted a .916 save percentage through 34 starts this season which would be the best mark of his career. That has helped propel Vancouver into a battle for first place in the Pacific Division and Markstrom to an All-Star Game appearance. Accordingly, he’ll be looking for a sizable increase on his current $3.67MM AAV. Weisbrod noted that they’re hoping to get something done down the stretch but that it wouldn’t be a significant concern if talks draw out into the summer and closer to the opening of free agency in July.
More from the Western Conference:
- The Wild should have center Mikko Koivu back in the lineup tomorrow against Detroit, notes Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Twitter link). The captain has missed the last two games due to an illness. As he remained on the active roster while being out, Minnesota won’t have to make any corresponding roster moves. Meanwhile, McLellan adds that defenseman Brad Hunt (who is also dealing with an illness and has missed the last five games) is still getting back to full strength which makes it unlikely that he’ll return.
- While the Oilers appear to be making progress on a new contract for pending UFA winger Zack Kassian, GM Ken Holland told Sportsnet’s Mark Spector that it’s looking like a new deal for pending RFA defenseman Darnell Nurse will likely be done in the offseason. Nurse is in the final season of his bridge contract, one that carries a $3.2MM AAV and salary which will serve as his qualifying offer next summer. Considering his improvements over that stretch, it’s possible that his next deal could be close to doubling his current price tag after factoring in his eligibility for salary arbitration.