Sean Maloughney: G68: Oilers vs Senators - The Risks of Youth

Fist Suck It Jero

Second l. suck it long and suck it hard 1230.

So Sean, you’re saying the Oilers 12 million dollar defenceman is struggling? Maybe play Ekholm with him. Cecil’s not a top pair, maybe not even a top 4. Bouchard will get better, Kulak is steady but has probably peaked. Who’s on the farm that may fill in?

K-man get your facts right: its 9 million not 12 like you suggest. You do have a very intriguing suggestion of playing Nurse and Elkhom together. It might be something that happens in the playoffs. That would be a very difficult pairing for the opposition. Kulak and Ceci as second pairing and Bouchard and Brobert as 3rd pairing. In home games only where Woody can match with opposition weaker lines.

K-man get your facts right: its 9 million not 12 like you suggest. You do have a very intriguing suggestion of playing Nurse and Elkhom together. It might be something that happens in the playoffs. That would be a very difficult pairing for the opposition. Kulak and Ceci as second pairing and Bouchard and Brobert as 3rd pairing. In home games only where Woody can match with opposition weaker lines.
- OilerKing

It’s a 9 mil cap hit but his actual salary this year is 12 mil!
Hollands a genius.
I would keep Bouchard in the top 4 playing him with Kulak, Ceci would look better facing the lower competition.

Who cares how much his salary is. That's the decision of the owner Katz to pay him that much, not yours or mine. By the way in 3 years his salary will be 6 million. Will you still complain about him then.

Who cares how much his salary is. That's the decision of the owner Katz to pay him that much, not yours or mine. By the way in 3 years his salary will be 6 million. Will you still complain about him then.
- OilerKing

Always!

Thanks Sean, good read.

So Sean, you’re saying the Oilers 12 million dollar defenceman is struggling? Maybe play Ekholm with him. Cecil’s not a top pair, maybe not even a top 4. Bouchard will get better, Kulak is steady but has probably peaked. Who’s on the farm that may fill in?
- K-man25

Nurse has more even strength points than Huberdeau for as bad as he's been it could be worse.

K-man should think and worry about his Flames. Lost to Coyotes and are now pretty much out of range for the playoffs. Now you get to pay Huberdeau and Weegar 16 million plus next year.

K-man should think and worry about his Flames. Lost to Coyotes and are now pretty much out of range for the playoffs. Now you get to pay Huberdeau and Weegar 16 million plus next year.
- OilerKing

He's not wrong. 7.5 or more is way too much for Nurse with his play this year. Mac is likely worth his contract at that value and yup, Huberdeau is paid too much if he doesn't settle in to a top 15 player going forward. Nurse is not worth his hit at this time. Not even close. Nurse is a 5M? maybe defenseman based off his play this year and last. But the Flames cap should be about a 60M cap team based off their teams performance this season. The difference between them and Columbus is ridiculously small.

K-man should think and worry about his Flames. Lost to Coyotes and are now pretty much out of range for the playoffs. Now you get to pay Huberdeau and Weegar 16 million plus next year.
- OilerKing

Markstrom>Tanev>Stecher...

He's not wrong. 7.5 or more is way too much for Nurse with his play this year. Mac is likely worth his contract at that value and yup, Huberdeau is paid too much if he doesn't settle in to a top 15 player going forward. Nurse is not worth his hit at this time. Not even close. Nurse is a 5M? maybe defenseman based off his play this year and last. But the Flames cap should be about a 60M cap team based off their teams performance this season. The difference between them and Columbus is ridiculously small.
- wreckage

While I am happy to harp on Nurse for his current contract value, i would still say he is easily a 6 mil defender. His numbers are actually pretty impressive considering his lack of PP time/production. Better than a point every two games, and (the stat everyone loves to hate) a team leading +21 on the year, playing around 24 min a night.

He's not wrong. 7.5 or more is way too much for Nurse with his play this year. Mac is likely worth his contract at that value and yup, Huberdeau is paid too much if he doesn't settle in to a top 15 player going forward. Nurse is not worth his hit at this time. Not even close. Nurse is a 5M? maybe defenseman based off his play this year and last. But the Flames cap should be about a 60M cap team based off their teams performance this season. The difference between them and Columbus is ridiculously small.
- wreckage

Agree with all of this. I will add that Nurse is a very good, humble kind of guy and perhaps he feels some guilt about his salary level and puts too much pressure on himself. Doesn't let him off the hook for his sub-par performance this year though.

The people complaining about Nurse should look at the comparable D-man on other teams. He signed when the market for that type of player was set around 8.5 to 9.5 million. He ended around mid-range which is appropriate for his play. You cant compare him to Karlson or Weegar in Calgary. He is mid-range of those two signings. They want a perfect player and there is no such thing in the NHL.

The people complaining about Nurse should look at the comparable D-man on other teams. He signed when the market for that type of player was set around 8.5 to 9.5 million. He ended around mid-range which is appropriate for his play. You cant compare him to Karlson or Weegar in Calgary. He is mid-range of those two signings. They want a perfect player and there is no such thing in the NHL.
- OilerKing

McDavid

The people complaining about Nurse should look at the comparable D-man on other teams. He signed when the market for that type of player was set around 8.5 to 9.5 million. He ended around mid-range which is appropriate for his play. You cant compare him to Karlson or Weegar in Calgary. He is mid-range of those two signings. They want a perfect player and there is no such thing in the NHL.
- OilerKing

So because the Blackhawks were stupid enough to pay Jones 9.5M the Oilers had to pay Nurse 9.5M? There is absolutely no reason he is making more than Heiskanen or Pietro. They are both better players making less than Nurse. He is the 7th highest paid NHL defenseman and he is not near a top 20 NHL defenseman. He is making at least 2M too much and that is crippling the team from getting better.

So because the Blackhawks were stupid enough to pay Jones 9.5M the Oilers had to pay Nurse 9.5M? There is absolutely no reason he is making more than Heiskanen or Pietro. They are both better players making less than Nurse. He is the 7th highest paid NHL defenseman and he is not near a top 20 NHL defenseman. He is making at least 2M too much and that is crippling the team from getting better.
- wreckage

You’re wasting your breath with Oilerkid.. He is so blinded by the bump McDavid gives the team that he can’t see the shortcomings of Nurse. Agree he’s at least 2 mil overpaid, to say he feels bad for this is totally ridiculous.

McDavid
- Oildrum

Heaven forbid he leaves in 2 years. Better hope for more playoff success.

Typical Calgary jealousy and envy K-man. This year the Oilers go to the cup final with McDavid, and Leon leading the way. Nurse and Ekhom will be the two key players in the defence group. Sit and watch and see what you could have if the ownership group in Calgary would realize that being mediocre has no value. That's why the city still has the oldest pro-hockey building in the NHL. The Saddledom was not very good in 1987 when it was built and it is terrible today.

Heaven forbid he leaves in 2 years. Better hope for more playoff success.
- K-man25

You're a Calgary fan tryna talk about the Oilers??? Buddy your team is pathetic give it up.

You're a Calgary fan tryna talk about the Oilers??? Buddy your team is pathetic give it up.
- Thunder_daddy

It's all Flames fans have at the moment.

'No one since Mario Lemieux 30 years ago is doing what McDavid is doing this season'

Flames fans:

Oh yeah...'but what is his plus/minus and now many goals are PP and empty netters'

So because the Blackhawks were stupid enough to pay Jones 9.5M the Oilers had to pay Nurse 9.5M? There is absolutely no reason he is making more than Heiskanen or Pietro. They are both better players making less than Nurse. He is the 7th highest paid NHL defenseman and he is not near a top 20 NHL defenseman. He is making at least 2M too much and that is crippling the team from getting better.
- wreckage

I agree, but we see it all the time when contracts are negotiated . Look at the highest paid comparable and work around that number. The Oilers couldn’t afford to not lock down Nurse and have him sit out or push for a short term deal that makes him a UFA. It’s a game that GM’s lose almost every time as they rarely have the leverage.

I agree, but we see it all the time when contracts are negotiated . Look at the highest paid comparable and work around that number. The Oilers couldn’t afford to not lock down Nurse and have him sit out or push for a short term deal that makes him a UFA. It’s a game that GM’s lose almost every time as they rarely have the leverage.
- HonkyTonkMan

Good points. And let's be fair to Nurse as well he had a stellar season and got paid. Like many others in the NHL.