The Return of Darnell Nurse

Todays NHL is so incredibly fast and filled with fitness freaks of nature that are in cut, god-like shape. As we see every season, now more than ever before, injuries happen left, right and center. Its very unfortunate that this can happen to any player at the worst of times. Fans of the Edmonton Oilers are all too familiar with this concept as they had to endure the cataclysmic loss of Connor McDavid in the thick of his stellar rookie season last year. Now this season, a small case of deja vu has hit the club. This time up-and-coming sophomore Darnell Nurse is the victim.

Nurse’s ankle injury is a prime example of how unfair life in sports can be. He was playing exceptionally well at the start of the season and his development looked like it was really starting to trend in the right direction. With him returning to the lineup soon, one can understand why there might be some nerves and worries following his return. The main concern being just how long it will take Nurse to get back up to speed and if the long term injury he sustained will effect his on-ice progress.

In 25 games this season, Nurse has three goals and two assists. He had tons of confidence and momentum leading up to the injury. Todd McLellan and the Oilers were doing exactly what they should have done with Nurse last year. By sheltering his minutes and deploying him in a proper manner that isn’t overwhelming for a young defender, Nurse responded positively with steady, promising play.

But an injury of Nurse’s severity (12 weeks, ankle ligament and bone damage) can really put a damper on things. Such an injury is difficult for a player to recover from. People could argue that this could knock Nurse back to square one again and he will have to regain all the confidence he lost after sitting out for so long.

It is true that Nurse will be rusty when he returns to game action; however there is no reason to expect regression from him. In fact, I have a hunch that he will be better than ever before and we could see him take off with his performance. Its important to make note that Nurse is also one of the most physically fit players on the team and is constantly in the gym working on his strength. He is very committed.

There have been plenty of promising young defencemen in the NHL that have suffered significant injuries and ended up returning stronger than ever. Oscar Klefbom missed a huge chunk of last season due to a staph infection. This year he’s bounced back and is contributing well as a solid top four defender. Erik Karlsson had that nasty achilles tendon injury back in 2013, which caused him to miss most of the season. When he returned, his elite play never vanished and has managed to remain healthy since the injury.

I still believe that Nurse has potential to be the go-to, number one guy on the blue line here in Edmonton. In fact, I think the reason why Peter Chiarelli isn’t making many drastic moves or attempts to acquire a world class rearguard is because he is waiting to see what he has in Nurse. You can bet that Chiarelli and the organization envisions Nurse as the future stud on the top pairing. I sense a terrific vote of confidence in Nurse from the bosses upstairs.

After all, Nurse is only 22 years old. It can take a long time for a young defender to hit his stride in this tough league. Just ask Victor Hedman or Rasmus Ristolainen about that. It took both of them at least 2-3 seasons of maintenance and gruelling learning curves to get to their elite status’.

There is no need to panic about Nurse. He is still learning. I truly believe that he will bounce back from this injury and continue on the path he started in the first 25 games this year. Patience will be a key factor.