The wait is over, or will be soon enough, now that Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse has been cleared to play.
After sitting out the first six exhibition games to rest an undisclosed injury, Nurse can finally start making up for lost time.
Not that he feels he missed much time.
“The only thing I’m missing is a couple of games,” said the nine-year veteran, who’s been taking part in all of the training camp practices, just not the games.
“I’ve got a lot of skates in, a lot of work in. I don’t feel like I’ve missed anything. From the sheer volume of being on the ice, getting out there early, staying on a little bit longer. I feel like I’ve maximized that.”
There is nothing like game speed to get a player ready, though, so while he doesn’t think missing all of the pre-season so far (Connor McDavid has already played three times) isn’t going to hurt, it certainly isn’t going to help.
“The game part, it’s always nice to get into a couple of those before the start of the season,” admitted Nurse. “But it’s not the be-all and end-all. That’s not the way anyone sees it. At the end of the day the objective is to be 100 per cent when the season opens up. It’s on me to be prepared mentally and physically when that happens.”
Nurse is right on that front. This is an important season for him, with the Oilers trying to break in a new defence partner on the second pairing and Nurse needing to up his game after a sub-par season last year. In a Stanley Cup window, the team needs the six-foot-four defenceman to be his best now more than ever.
“I just want to be myself and play the way I’m capable of playing,” said Nurse, well aware of the pressure and expectations that come with a $9.25 million contract. “I have a pretty good picture of that in my mind,” he said. “If I can play to my capabilities that’s all that matters.”
That’s the same approach he’s taking to his new pairing, most likely Ty Emberson.
“The best way to help someone else is to be at the top of your own game. I have to be at the top of my game for when the season starts and carry it throughout. That’s where my focus is.
“There is going to be some change, it’s an adjustment for everyone except Bouch and Ek (first pairing Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm). That’s what makes camp and this (final week) ramp up so important, to get that familiarity.”
Head coach Kris Knoblauch is a big Nurse backer who doesn’t mince words about the importance of having him playing well and in full health.
“That second pair, it’s going to (revolve) around him, how well he plays. We want him playing aggressive and being very assertive. I’ve said it many times: I don’t think there’s anyone who closes time and space as well as he does. When guys want to protect the puck from him, he has the power and strength to push them off that puck.
“There were times he didn’t play his best (last year) but there were times he didn’t get appreciated enough for how well he did play. Every player goes through ups and downs, whether it’s over a career, for a season or just a window of games. I know Darnell Nurse is eager to get the season going and having a stronger season than he did last year.”
As for deploying him in the final two games of the pre-season, that part is still being discussed.
“We have to be cautious of putting him the lineup and over-extending him where he’s playing 25 minutes the first game and 25 minutes the next one,” said Knoblauch.
“I don’t think that would be good. So if he did play both games we’ve have to make sure his minutes stay lower and not overdo it or do we just play him in one game. I guess that’s something we’ll decide.”
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