Edmonton Oilers ink defenceman Darnell Nurse to eight-year, US$74-million extension

Edmonton Oilers' Darnell Nurse (25), Leon Draisaitl (29) and Tyson Barrie (22) celebrate a goal against the Ottawa Senators during first period NHL action in Edmonton on Friday, March 12, 2021.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

EDMONTON — Defenceman Darnell Nurse has signed a long-term contract with the Edmonton Oilers.

Nurse, 26, will make an average of $9.25 million for eight seasons.

The new contract starts in 2022-23.

Nurse, drafted by the Oilers in 2013, played all 56 games last season and posted 36 points.

He wasn't expecting to sign an eight-year, US$74 million contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers this summer.

The defenceman thought the NHL's current economics, including a pandemic-induced flat salary cap, would see him ink a shorter deal, something along the lines of four years.

He was pleasantly surprised, though, when several of his fellow blue liners were awarded big-money, big-term contracts when the free-agency market opened late last month.

On Friday, it was Nurse's turn to put pen to paper.

The defence man from Hamilton signed the max-term extension, with an average annual value of U.S. $9.25 million.

“I think any time that you have a team and a management group that believes in you like our team in Edmonton does, it always feels good,” Nurse said on a video call Friday.

“I've always been confident in myself and my abilities to play and to have that reciprocated is a great feeling. I just want to get back to work and get the season going.”

He had a massive campaign for the Oilers last year, putting up points 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) in 56 games, and was second among NHL defenceman in goals.

The six-foot-four, 221-pound defenceman played a whopping 62:07 in Edmonton's final game of year, a 4-3 triple-overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets that saw the Oilers swept from the first round of the playoffs.

It was a tough finish for the Oilers, who ended the regular season second in the all-Canadian North Division with a 35-19-2 record.

Edmonton's general manager Ken Holland has been at work tinkering with the team over the off-season, adding veteran d-man Duncan Keith in a trade with Chicago, bringing in free agents Zach Hyman, Cody Ceci and Derek Ryan, re-signing blue liner Tyson Barrie and dealing up-and-coming defenceman Ethan Bear to the Carolina Hurricanes for left-winger Warren Foegele.

Nurse is a big fan of the changes.

“As a player, it's very exciting. I think if you look at our team from when the season ended to now, I think we've made a lot of improvements,” he said. “On the back end we've added some really steady pieces that have played a lot of games and you know each and every night are going to bring it.”

Several Oilers have been working out together in Toronto during the off-season, he added, including Hyman and Foegele, who both just want to get “better and better.”

“To have that type of attitude and mentality, I don't think you can have enough of it on your team,” Nurse said. “And I think they'll bring that to our team and continue to push us to another level.”

Off the ice, Nurse has taken on a whole new challenge this summer - parenthood.

His fiance, Mikayla Marrelli, gave birth to their first child, a boy named Aiden, just hours after the Oilers were ousted from the playoffs on May 24.

Becoming a dad has been “an absolute blessing,” Nurse said Friday.

“I've enjoyed each and every minute of it,” he said. “From the crying every once in a while to the poopy diapers, I have zero complaints.”