Darnell Nurse has hard time containing emotions after being sent back to junior

[JR Ewing]

Darnell Nurse had another terrific game last, featuring a lovely breakaway pass to Jordan Eberle, and later on had a beautiful assist on an Eberle goal, but as per the thread title, Nurse wore his heart on his sleeve for his exit interview after being cut from the team:

 

http://video.oilers.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=447759&lang=en

 

Raw emotion.

 

Nurse is the "victim" of a numbers game on the Oilers blue line, where Craig MacTavish brought in more options than has been seen in an Oilers camp in well over a decade. Being sent down certainly isn't a reflection of how Nurse played. He had a GREAT camp, playing well in his own end, being nasty, consistently moving the puck up ice very quickly and set up several nice goals. And now the right thing has been done: he's been sent back to junior to develop properly.

 

He's a beauty.

 

JR

 

[goalnut3133]

I feel for the kid, got a taste of his dream & now has to wait another year...but he's got his whole career ahead of him, not too shabby a place to be. I think stardom is in his future...will be one to watch for sure.

[flyercanuck]

The kid is exactly what the Oilers (and Flyers for that matter) need. He was THE guy I had hoped realistically the Flyers could get, but we had to win those meaningless games at the end of last season. I've heard nothing but rave reviews on him at Edmontons preseason camp. Enjoy the next decade and a half of this guy...I know we won't.

[JR Ewing]

The kid is exactly what the Oilers (and Flyers for that matter) need. He was THE guy I had hoped realistically the Flyers could get, but we had to win those meaningless games at the end of last season. I've heard nothing but rave reviews on him at Edmontons preseason camp. Enjoy the next decade and a half of this guy...I know we won't.

 

I'm a firm believer in taking the best player available at the draft, and that in many ways, that player was Valeri Nichushkin. I think he'll be an absolute beast in this league. Despite my belief in BPA, at some point, you need to go after a high end defenseman, particularly when you already have a lot of extremely good prospects at forward. So I was fine with the Nurse pick. I hadn't seen a ton of him, and I'm not going to be one of those guys you see all the time who's watched nothing more than a couple of youtube clips and thinks he knows more about the "saw him good" aspects than the scouts.

 

Now, camp has come, his time has gone, and he did indeed look good. A real player.

 

JR

[Digityman]

I feel for the kid, got a taste of his dream & now has to wait another year...but he's got his whole career ahead of him, not too shabby a place to be. I think stardom is in his future...will be one to watch for sure.

 

The problem is that careers can be cut short.  Obviously, statistically that doesn't happen all that often but I always think about it with these kids.  Sent down where players might be looking to prove something against the "future NHLer".

[EDI-Flyer]

Sent down where players might be looking to prove something against the "future NHLer".

 

Always a possibility but if it's going to happen it's less likely against a kid of his size and grit than to a high end forward at 5"11" 160lbs...

 

To me it's still the right thing to do. And I say that as someone who is currently watching Morin play against the Shawinigan Cataractes. Just the best thing for their development IMO.

 

EDIT

 

 

 

Sadly it doesn't appear that Morin is playing tonight, good game for the Oceanique though, 2-0 up in the first...

Edited September 25, 2013 by EDI-Flyer