The Edmonton Oilers may have found Darnell Nurse a partner
With the recent departure of Cody Ceci, the Oilers now find themselves in a position to find a suitable replacement.
As it stands, there are a few noteworthy battles that have emerged during training camp. The most crucial one that comes to mind is finding Darnell a partner on the second defensive pairing. For now, the Oilers have found their front-runner in newly acquired Ty Emberson.
According to Daniel Nugent-Bowman from the Athletic, Emberson, 24, is getting the first look on Nurse's right side despite having just 30 games of NHL experience. All that time came as a rookie in an injury-plagued 2023-24 season. In August, he was dealt to Edmonton from San Jose for Nurse's longtime partner Cody Ceci.
Though it's a little odd that Emberson has a chance to replace the player for whom he was traded, the barriers at play here also concern Nurse.
During an interview, Darnell highlighted the qualities he's looking for concerning his new defensive partner.
Although Emberson is expected to be the one that get's the job, things are a little tricky right now.
Darnell Nurse is struggling through lingering injuries suffered in the post season and has been undergoing intensive rehabilitation. Nurse will be getting limited minutes during preseason games, which will heavily impact the chemistry he and Emberson will need to build moving forward.
Although nothing is set in stone, It's Emberson who gets the first attempt to stake his claim to the top-four gig next to Nurse.
Emberson is also going from the worst team in the NHL last season to one that was a victory from winning the Stanley Cup. There's a lot of pressure to perform. Can he do it? Only time will tell.
source: The Athletic
How Edmonton Oilers hope to find ideal defence partner for Darnell Nurse
| POLL | ||
Will Emberson get the job? | ||
| Yes | 57 | 93.4 % |
| No | 4 | 6.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
