November 19, 2021 by Eric Friesen

Per Jason Gregor of TSN 1260, Darnell Nurse suffered an undisclosed injury in a 2-1 shootout victory for the Edmonton Oilers over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. Gregor’s sources are saying that Nurse will be out for “a few weeks.”

Nurse, who has 11 assists in 16 games and is averaging 26:06 of ice time per game this season, leaves a massive hole on the left side of the Oilers’ blueline. Notwithstanding Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Nurse is arguably the most valuable member of this hockey team.

Despite playing a physical style, Nurse has shown remarkable durability throughout his NHL career. The 26-year-old has missed only nine games over the past five seasons.

As a result, the Oilers have recalled top prospect Philip Broberg (8th overall, 2019) from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Broberg has 10 assists in 13 games with the Condors this season, which ranks him second among AHL rookie defencemen.

I believed Broberg would play NHL games this season, but I didn’t expect to see him in Edmonton until at least after Christmas. The 20-year-old will likely start on the third pairing against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.

A steady veteran defender Cody Ceci seems like the most likely option to play alongside Broberg in his NHL debut. Evan Bouchard and Broberg could become an excellent defensive pairing in the coming years, but I doubt we see them play together this soon.

There’s a good chance that Broberg will return to Bakersfield when Nurse is cleared to play again. However, if Broberg shows he’s ready to help the team win games right now, then he could be in Edmonton to stay.