It's Wednesday September 5 and weirdness is in the hot, humid air.
Edmonton Oiler fans want to know when Darnell Nurse will be signed to his new multi-year contract. Oilers fans have a right to be anxious sright now, Nurse, 23, is the best blue liner the Oilers have right now and if the Oilers plan on making the Stanley Cup playoffs next spring, they are going they are going to rely heavily on the workhorse D-man to log big minujtes against the best lines of other teams.
Last week, Nurse attended the annual BioSteel summer camp in Toronto. I listened intently as he told the NHL Network on Sirius XM that he isn't concerned and that he felt confident his next contract would be finalized "shortly".
Today, Nurse told the Oilers website a different story.
Nurse said he will not be attending Oilers training camp without a brand new contract signed, sealed and delivered.
“I wouldn’t come to camp without a contract. Hopefully, we get something done before camp so that I can be out there the first day. That’s the goal. I’m not the only one in this situation. There’s a couple other guys. I don’t think I’m surprised. Obviously, you go into the summer you think something will be done, especially going through it the first time you think something will be done right away, but it’s an educating process.…
"I have to have more confidence in what I'm able to do offensively. I have a toolbox I haven't really tapped into. I'm looking forward to doing that." @drtwofive chats about his off-season focus & personal goals for 2018-19 pic.twitter.com/exMz6nWPLf
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) September 5, 2018
The "couple other guys" Nurse referred to are fellow restricted free agents Shea Theodore (D, Vegas), Samson Reinhart (F, Sabres), William Nylander (F, Maple Leafs). Josh Morrissey (D, Winnipeg) is another unsigned RFA.
Reinhart made his long awaited return to Buffalo yesterday where he skated with teammates new and old. Afterwards, he spoke with five media memmbers including yours truly about the importance of him being back on the ice with his teammates. Reinhart said that he, his agent and Sabres GM Jason Botterill are keeping their lips zipped regarding a new contract for the scoring forward and former second overall pick at the 2014 NHL Draft. Reinhart said he wants to be a Buffalo Sabres long term. Personally, I don't see a scenario that would force Reinhart to skip the beginning of training camp (September 13). His camp and Botterill will get a fair and equitable deal done in the near future.
On Wednesday, Leafs GM told Bob McKenzie that he is confident that Nylander will be at Leafs training camp next week with a new, finalized contract. The Leafs also must work out new contracts with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
Like Nurse, Theodore and Morrissey are looking at the 6-year, $29.5 million contract extension signed last week by Calgary Flames D-man Noah Hanifin. The Flames traded Dougie Hamilton and Michael Ferland to Carolina in June in exchange for Hanifin, forward Elias Lindholm and D prospect Adam Fox. Hanifin who just completed his entry level contract and was a restricted free agent.
Hanifin's $4.95 million average annual value certainly is music to the ears of Nurse and Theodore.
Nurse has said publicly that he wants to remain with the Edmonton Oilers on a long term basis.
Question being: Does Oilers GM Pete Chiarelli value Nurse as a $4.95M to $5.2M AAV defenseman?
Another sticking point may not be the appropriate AAV but the term for Nurse. Is Chiarelli looking to sign Nurse to a two or three year bridge contract in the $4M to $4.5M AAV neighborhood?
It does seem odd to me that the Oilers and Nurse have not shook hands yet on a new contract.
Especially since Nurse has a ton of leverage over the Oilers right now.
Chiarelli and Todd McLellan were dealt a massive blow to their blue line when earlier this month veteran puck distributor Andrej Sekera underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon. For Sekera, it represents the second straight season he's suffered a serious injury after having recovered from an ACL tear in the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs playoffs that kept him out of the lineup until late December 2017. Once he returned to the lineup after Christmas, Sekera wasn't the same skater. It's understandable. He needed more time to fully and completely heal from the ACL tear.
The Oilers blue line is no great shakes right now. It's an area of concern for McLellan, whose team was ranked 27th in terms of goals against average (3.19) last season. A far cry from the Oilers' 2.52 goals against average (8th in NHL) in 2016-17. Subtract Nurse and Sekera from the opening night blue line, and the Oilers will have to rely on a top six of Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson, Kris Russell, Kevin Gravel, Matthew Benning, and Jakub JeÅ™à¡bek. There is no way possible that the 18 year old, 10th overall pick (2018) defenseman, Evan Bouchard, will be ready to make the quantum leap from the London Knights to the NHL. Bouchard is going to be a good one, but he is nowhere near ready yet for the bright lights of Edminton.
At present, Chiarelli has but $3,978,834 in available salary cap space. However, Sekera's $5.5M AAV can be move to LTIR once the 2018-19 regular season begins.