Sharks GM Compares Nurse Situation to Marner Leaving Toronto

It was time for Darnell Nurse and the Edmonton Oilers to part ways, and although the San Jose Sharks weren’t on his initial list of desired landing spots, there are worse places to get that fresh start.

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From San Jose’s perspective, however, the trade hasn’t been universally praised. While the need for help on defense was real, many have criticized GM Mike Grier for taking on Nurse’s full $9.25 million cap hit while also having to give up assets in return.

Despite that, Grier is not backing down from his decision, and he believes getting out of Edmonton could be very beneficial for Nurse, comparing it to Mitch Marner’s success in his first year away from Toronto.

Grier said:

“You saw a little bit of that with Mitch Marner getting out of Toronto. Just to be able to breathe, play hockey, and not have — sometimes you kind of feel like the weight of the world’s on your shoulders to perform, and if you lose, it’s your fault, if you win, no one really says anything.

That’s just the life of a player in a big, big Canadian market, and if you’re a marquee player there, that always adds extra pressure to it. We think him coming here and getting out of that environment will only help his game,”

The 31-year-old Nurse produced 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists) and was a -12 rating in 82 games played last season for the Oilers.

Nurse absolutely could find his game again in San Jose with far less pressure and scrutiny, but it does feel like wishful thinking to project that he’ll return to peak form—or better—on his new team.

That said, he’s going to get plenty of opportunity in all aspects of the game with loads of young talent around him, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see Nurse play much better than he has in recent years. Whether it’s at the level of a $9.25 million defenseman, however, is a whole other question.

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