The Darnell Nurse Conundrum: Can The Oilers Fix Their Defense?

The Edmonton Oilers' defense was exposed in the playoffs, and the massive contracts of Darnell Nurse and Jake Walman are creating a salary cap nightmare   On today’s Locked On Oilers, Nick Zararis evaluates the state of the Edmonton Oilers' blue line following their first-round exit against the Ducks. From the evolving speed of the NHL to the severe limitations of the current defensive core, this offseason evaluation leaves no stone unturned. We break down the struggles of the Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm pairing while dealing with Connor McDavid's foot injury. Finally, we dive into the Darnell Nurse conundrum and why his $9.25M cap hit is an anchor, plus the alarming underlying numbers behind Jake Walman's seven-year deal. 05:45 Discussing Ekholm-Bouchard defensive pairing 06:59 Oilers defensive struggles in playoffs 13:09 Highest paid NHL defensemen 14:45 Darnell Nurse's career year factors 19:56 Promoting Indeed Sponsored Jobs 22:19 Evaluating Jake Walman's role 24:20 Evaluating Jake Wallman's performance 28:17 Concerns about team's defense The Darnell Nurse Conundrum: Can The Oilers Fix Their Defense? Everydayer ClubIf you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonoilers.supercast.com Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Indeed Now, you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 Sponsored Job Credit. Just go to https://indeed.com/podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply. KALSHI For a limited time, download the Kalshi app and use code LOCKEDON to get ten dollars when you trade ten. Kalshi. Trade on anything. Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get one-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game. 5-Hour ENERGY The Cotton Candy flavor is HERE on https://5hourEnergy.com or Amazon, crack open Cotton Candy 5-hour ENERGY®️ shot today! Rugiet Get 15% off your treatment → https://rugiet.com/lockedonnhl Rugiet. Performance medicine for men. QuoMake this the year where no opportunity — and no customer — slips away.Try Quo for free plus get 20% off your first 6 months when you go tohttp://Quo.com/lockedonnhl. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.