EDMONTON – Scrutiny of the Edmonton Oilers' defenders is like Beauty and the Beast.

A tale as old as time.

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A new coaching staff (led by Kris Knoblauch) and a new management team (led by Jeff Jackson & Stan Bowman) aren’t enough of a deterrent for fans and media to harp on the shortcomings of the franchise.

Bowman has been working around the clock to improve the team – some of that work taking the form of allowing free agents Corey Perry and Connor Brown to pursue more money with other teams. 

Now, Knoblauch has a unique situation – what to do with Darnell Nurse?

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Many analysts and fans are upset at the Oilers defender, primarily because they feel like his play and paycheque don’t add up in their minds. They see it as two plus two equals pancake.

However, what if instead of trying to get rid of Nurse, the Oilers make him a forward? Here are three reasons why I think it’s finally time they give this approach the good old “college try.”

Nurse Has Great Size And Strength

The Oilers traded away Evander Kane this summer, leaving a hole for someone else to fill. While it’s true that they extended Trent Frederic and expect him to fill that void, Nurse arguably has better physical tools to be a disruptive power forward in the NHL.

He is a better skater than Frederic and Kane. Nurse is just as physical and is a better athlete. After all, the defender is only a few seasons removed from playing back-to-back seasons of playing 25 minutes a night.

Nurse Has Great Offensive Instincts

While Nurse might never be as effective as Kane was at scoring goals, he has an untapped offensive potential. His best offensive output came in the 2022-23 season, when he scored 12 goals and added 31 assists while averaging 23:30 minutes per night.

He might not light the lamp 30 times as a forward (like Kane did in 2018-19), but recording a 20-goal, 30-assist season as a forward is not unreasonable for a man of Nurse’s talents.

Oilers Can Pull A Mulligan

The number one reason for the Oilers to try this out is simple: they can pull a mulligan.

If Knoblauch and his staff decide that, after months of trying to make Nurse play like a forward instead of a defender, and it feels like they are hitting their head against the wall every day, they can go back to the way that it was. 

The Oilers have gone to the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back seasons, and they have certainly afforded themselves some leeway in terms of experimentation.

Who knows, this just might be the offseason that this narrative around Nurse can finally be put to rest.

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