Oilers World Demands $74 Million D-Man Be Held Accountable After Laundry List of Errors in Loss to Ducks

The Edmonton Oilers returned from the Olympic break with a tough 6-5 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night. They controlled large stretches of the game and held multiple leads, but a handful of costly mistakes proved too much to overcome.

Now, much of the frustration is being directed at the team’s $74 million defenseman after a night filled with defensive breakdowns.

$74M Edmonton Oilers Blue-Liner Under Fire

The spotlight has landed squarely on Darnell Nurse, who is in the midst of an eight-year, $74 million deal. His defensive struggles were hard to ignore in a game where Edmonton surrendered leads of 2-0, 4-2, and 5-4.

The Oilers came out flying, scoring just 13 seconds in when Savoie sent Jack Roslovic in alone. McDavid later set up Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to make it 2-0.

Anaheim pushed back. Ian Moore got the Ducks on the board. Alex Killorn tied it early in the second. Edmonton responded again, with Zach Hyman restoring the lead. Evan Bouchard quickly extended it to 4-2 late in the period.

But the third period unraveled. Leo Carlsson and Olen Zellweger erased the deficit to tie it 4-4. Savoie gave Edmonton a 5-4 edge on the power play. Only for Beckett Sennecke to even things up once more, chasing Tristan Jarry from the crease in favor of Ingram. Cutter Gauthier eventually buried the winner with just over a minute left in regulation.

Nurse finished the night minus-3 and was on the ice for four of Anaheim’s five even-strength goals, numbers that fueled the criticism.

The reaction from analysts and fans was swift.

Oilers Nation analyst Tyler Yaremchuk summed up the growing frustration, admitting, “I’ve never been in the ‘healthy scratch him’ camp. But it’s hard not to be after tonight. 2 awful errors that cost them the game.” This comment reflects just how thin the patience is becoming.

I’ve never been in the “healthy scratch him”
camp

But it’s hard not to be after tonight.

2 awful errors that cost them the game. https://t.co/Sh0scy5zBU

— Tyler Yaremchuk (@tyleryaremchuk) February 26, 2026

One NHL writer bluntly added, “Now you can yell about Darnell Nurse. My word.”

Analyst Kevin McCurdy took a more analytical approach but was equally firm: “I try to be fair and unbiased… what happens after is absolutely inexcusable for an NHL player with almost 800 games in the league. We’re long overdue for some accountability here.”

I try to be fair and unbiased in my assessment of players. Losing the puck there before the GWG happens, what happens after is absolutely inexcusable for an NHL player with almost 800 games in the league. We’re long overdue for some accountability here. https://t.co/yKU7yDnCUn

— Kevin McCurdy (@KevinMcCurdy) February 26, 2026

Oilers analyst Mathew Panchyshyn didn’t hide his frustration, saying, “My frusteration continues. Nurse gets yet another game on the 2nd D pair while being the 5th best Dman on the team and forcing Edm’s 2nd best to play his offside.”

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Nurse has been skating on the second defensive pairing alongside Jake Walman, a deployment that continues to spark debate among observers. With a minus-14 rating on the season, Nurse has become a lightning rod in a year where Edmonton’s defensive play has been inconsistent.

The Oilers now head to Los Angeles and San Jose to continue their California road trip, but the spotlight on Nurse isn’t dimming anytime soon.