TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that the Edmonton Oilers might be making some wild lineup adjustments ahead of their Tuesday night matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. In an attempt to find a solution in the No. 4 spot on the blue line, Rishaug reports that Ty Emberson appears to be out of the lineup and Darnell Nurse is staking alongside Travis Dermott, but Nurse is playing the right side.
It’s an odd decision considering Nurse is not a right-shot defenseman and has played very little on the right side of the ice for the Oilers in his career. Head coach Kris Knoblauch has stated in the past how much of an asset Dermott’s ability to play both sides of the ice is. That said, the pairing of Dermott and Nurse wasn’t great when put together to start the season. Perhaps Knoblauch is trying something else by switching them up, putting Dermott on his natural side, and seeing if Nurse can handle the adjustment.
It’s a tall ask, and it puts a lot of pressure on Nurse who is already fighting his game. But, if the feeling is that Nurse can handle the change better than Dermott can, the lack of options for the Oilers means there are few alternatives.
The Oilers Need Another Right-Shot Defenseman
If the only option left is to play Nurse on his off side, the Oilers have a problem. Granted, Nurse could surprise, but if he struggles, it might be time to look to the market or make a trade to fill the hole the Oilers can’t seem to fill internally.
The likelihood that moving Nurse to the other side is going to suddenly improve his play is a wild swing that has a low percentage chance of paying off. But, if fans want to think positively, perhaps Nurse is the right defenseman they’ve been missing all along. Maybe letting players who can truly play the left side remain on left defense while giving him a chance to play right defense is the way to go.
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