The Edmonton Oilers took a huge step in 2016-17 when they emerged as a playoff team for the first time in more than a decade.
“It speaks volumes about the coaching staff and management and all the work they put in in getting us prepared for games,” Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse said during a radio interview on Sportsnet 590 The FAN on Wednesday. “We have a team that’s very hungry every single day and every single year to go out and push ourselves to our limits and see what we can accomplish.
“I think we have a big trust in each other, a big belief in our team,” the 22-year-old rearguard said. “The main focus is just going out every night and giving everything we have for the guys next to us.”
The young, powerful offence has made leaps and bounds over the past few seasons thanks to the arrival of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and a whole cast of strong supporting characters. But don’t sleep on the defence, which continues to grow in its own right.
“We play really well together, I think we continue to grow,” Nurse said of his fellow blue liners, which includes Adam Larsson, Oscar Klefbom and Andrej Sekera, among others. “I think that’s the biggest thing, as a D corps, we continue to learn and grow and spend a lot of time not only during practice but after practices watching film and doing extra drills.”
“Everyone’s really hungry to get better,” continued Nurse, who is heading into his third season with Edmonton—which is also an all-important contract year for him. “I think that’s a big part of why we’ve gotten to the point that we’re at and continue to work to get even better, take another step.”
Listen to the full interview here:
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