Does Darnell Nurse Make Sense for the Penguins?

News of established NHL players looking for a change of scenery is suddenly sprouting up like so many dandelions on a suburban lawn.

First, long-time Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin shocked his team and Motor City hockey fans alike by requesting a trade. Last week, Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse followed suit.

To no one’s surprise, Larkin, who badly wants to win after languishing on non-playoff teams in Detroit, excluded the Penguins from his short list of preferred destinations. However, rumor has it that the Pens are among the teams on Nurse’s list.

Which begs the question. Operating under the assumption that UFA defenseman Ryan Shea signs elsewhere, does Nurse make sense for the black-and-gold as a replacement?

First, let me say that I like the idea of Nurse. For starters, he plays the left side, where we’re woefully thin. He’s 6’4” and 220 pounds. Heavyweight dimensions. Plays a big man’s game, too. When push comes to shove and the gloves drop, he can hang with the toughest of the tough. Consistently registers over 100 hits and blocked shots each season.

However, he’s far from one-dimensional. Nurse can skate and move the puck. He topped 30 points in seven-straight seasons with a high of 43 in 2022-23, and 10 goals four times, including a career-best 16 goals in 56 games during the Covid-shortened ’20-21 campaign.

The former seventh-overall pick (2013) most definitely possesses skill.

Did I mention a connection to Kyle Dubas? Yep, Nurse played for our POHO/GM with the Soo Greyhounds in junior.

I’ll admit, I’ve long coveted a big, physical defenseman for our Pens. To potentially add one who can actually play?

Okay, that’s the good news. Here’s the other shoe I’m about to drop.

The 31-year-old rearguard is under contract for four more seasons at an annual cap hit of $9.25 million. Hardly chump change (not to mention more than we’re paying franchise icon Sidney Crosby).

Despite playing for the greatest offensive juggernaut of the 2000s, his possession numbers (Corsi and xGF%) are only fair. Ditto his actual 5v5 goals for percentages.

Perhaps the biggest knock on him? A lack of hockey smarts, coupled with a propensity for committing blunders at crucial times.

Another consideration—the rangy defender had arguably his worst season in ’25-26. Hinting that he may already be in decline.

Speaking of declining, if the Pens did acquire Darnell, he’d likely skate next to Kris Letang on the second pairing. Two erratic, error-prone defensemen aren’t exactly a tandem made in hockey heaven. Either that, or he’d be an incredibly overpaid third-pairing defenseman.

Putting the negatives aside, let’s say for the sake of argument Dubas is interested in acquiring Nurse. What (or who) would we need to give up in return?

Many have suggested failed free-agent albatross Ryan Graves, under contract for three more seasons at an AAV of $4.5 million. Which would in essence pare Nurse’s compensation to a more palatable $4.75 million, at least for the next three seasons.

However, I doubt if the Oilers would bite. I’m guessing Stan Bowman is under the impression, delusional or otherwise, that he can command a solid return for his disgruntled defender. (To say nothing of the fact that he’s probably once-bitten, twice-shy in the aftermath of the Tristan Jarry deal.)

Good luck with that.

Bottom line? I’d rather overpay for Shea than swing a deal for Nurse.

As for other options, perhaps it’s time to see if Owen Pickering can sink or swim. Although he doesn’t possess Nurse’s physical edge, the 2022 first-rounder is roughly the same size (6’5” 206), can skate and does possess some puck-moving skills (28 points in 68 games with the Baby Pens).

Nine years younger and, with a modest cap hit of $886K, infinitely less expensive.

To me it’s a no brainer.

Pass on Nurse

Let’s Make a Deal

Dubas swung his first deal of the summer, trading defense prospect Emil Pieniniemi to Florida in exchange for RFA-to-be forward Oliver Okuliar.

A somewhat polarizing third-round pick of the Pens in ’23, the 21-year-old Finn got off to a rocky start when he refused an assignment to Wheeling to begin the season. After attempting a return to Europe, Emil eventually reported and wound up splitting time with the Nailers and Baby Pens, with modest results.

The fact that the Pens aren’t exactly stacked with potential portside defense options, yet still opted to trade the rangy 6’3” 177-pounder doesn’t exactly speak highly of his potential.

As for Okuliar, he’s a 26-year forward who’s spent the majority of his pro career in Europe. Depending on which site you visit, native of Trencin, Slovakia, is listed anywhere from 6’0” 182 to 6’2” 190.

Signed as a free agent by the Panthers in May 2024, Okuliar played the ’24-25 season with Charlotte in the AHL and produced solid numbers (19 goals and 41 points).

However, the stat that immediately grabbed my attention? His 119 penalty minutes.

Curious, I decided to look him up on HockeyFights.com. Okuliar, indeed, had three fights that season, including a tilt with then-Baby Pen Jonathan Gruden. While game as a butcher’s block, he fights like a Penguin (which is to say, he can’t).

Still, I love that he’s willing to mix it up.

According to Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now, Okuliar’s reputed to be “a ferocious forechecker” as well.

With players like Rafaël Harvey-Pinard likely to move on, to say nothing of potential promotions among the forwards, sounds like the Slovakian Olympian might be more than a mere throw away, but rather a candidate for duty with the Baby Pens.