Darnell Nurse's return timetable set after brutal hit from Ryan Reaves
Darnell Nurse took a massive hit from Ryan Reaves over the weekend, and while it looked very, very bad, he won't be out for as long as initially expected.
The Edmonton Oilers are already very thin on the blue line this season, so when Darnell Nurse was taken out by Ryan Reaves over the weekend, it was infuriating for so many reasons.
The hit went viral on social media, leading to gruesome images of the veteran defenseman being helped from the ice, as Reaves was given a five-game suspension for what was one of the most unnecessary hits we've seen in recent times,
The images after the fact were very tough to watch, and given the blood that stained Nurse's visor and jersey, it was expected that he could be out for a significant stretch of time.
However, the latest update from the Oilers PR team on social media was a very positive one, as they revealed he will be out for a much shorter stint than initially expected.
Now, it will be up to the likes of Brett Kulak and Travis Dermott to fill the hole left by Nurse on the left-hand side of the defense, with question marks already on the right side.
In 18 games this season for Edmonton, Nurse has been much better than many believed he would be this season, posting 2 goals and 9 points with a +2 differential, and even with one of the NHL's worst contracts, he's been fairly solid.
Ultimately, this type of hit from Reaves is what the NHL is trying to stamp out, as it has the chance to take some of their stars out for a long, long time, and given Reaves's lack of impact beyond illegal moves like this, it's easy to see why the league are pushing to outlaw this.
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