Oilers reassign Darnell Nurse to Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

Darnell Nurse will not make the jump to the Oilers this season, instead is headed back to Saulte St. Marie

19-year-old blue liner Darnell Nurse may have hoped that this would be his year to skate out with the Oilers, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

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The team reassigned Nurse to his junior club, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, for one final season. The club doesn’t need too much in the way of assistance, as they sit on an eight-game winning streak, but the move could be beneficial to Nurse in the long run.

The Edmonton Oilers are currently sitting in dead last in standings across the entire NHL, with a 0-3-1 record over the past four games. They most recently fell to the Arizona Coyotes 7-4 on Wednesday night, watching on as the Coyotes took home goals for five separate players, both on even strength and in the power play.

Many (including myself) have criticized the Oilers in recent seasons for rushing young player development- for a team full of top-level talent, the club has struggled over recent years, failing to make the playoffs even once in the past five seasons.

It is because of this that the decision to send down Nurse for one more season is viewed not as a criticism of the player, but as a smart move by a team looking to finally turn things around.

To serve in Nurse’s place in Edmonton, the Oilers have recalled Martin Marincin from the Oklahoma City Barons, their AHL affiliate. Marincin, 22, was the Oilers second-round draft pick (selected 46th overall) by the club in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

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