"Jack Campbell’s is worse" "He's not 9.25 million good" - NHL fans react as insider questions if Darnell Nurse has the worst contract in the league

NHL fans believe Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse may have the most undeserving contract in the entire league. Nurse signed an eight-year, $74 million deal in 2021, which pays him $9.25 million per season and has six years remaining.

It's a contract that has not aged well, and after Nurse took a key penalty during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, NHL reporter Drew Livingstone tweeted:

"Does Darnell Nurse have the worst contract in the NHL? 0G, 2A, -12 thru 15 playoff games. 9.25M AAV."

Many fans shared the sentiment and agreed with the NHL reporter.

"What on earth did he even do to deserve $9.25m AAV?????????" One fan wondered.

"Had it since ink dried on that contract. He’s good defenseman but he’s not 9.25 million good. Should’ve slotted in around 7ish million IMO," a fan wrote.

"I can’t think of worse," another user wrote.

Other fans, meanwhile, think the timing of the contract played a role in why Edmonton had to overpay for Darnell Nurse.

"His contract came up at the worse time, Oilers just lost Klefbom and Larsson for nothing, and a week prior Seth Jones and Zack Werenski signed for $9m plus, the market drastically changed and Oilers couldn't afford to lose their no 1 D at the time," a fan wrote.

"We bridged him too many times and this was the cost of a long-term deal," a fan added.

However, some fans thought of different contracts that would give Darnell Nurse a run for the worst deal in the NHL. Case in point:

"In terms of “value” I’d say Jack Campbell’s is worse - but looking at the length of Nurse is hard to swallow," a fan commented.

Several fans brought up Campbell, another member of the Oilers. The goalie has three years left on his deal, which pays him $5 million per season.

Edmonton Oilers blow lead to Dallas Stars in Game 3

Despite facing issues, the Edmonton Oilers are in the Western Conference Finals and are playing the Dallas Stars.

Edmonton is trailing 2-1 in the series after losing their lead in Game 3. The Oilers led 2-0 after the first period, but Dallas scored three unanswered to take a 3-2 lead before Edmonton tied it. Yet, the Stars scored the only two goals in the third period to get a 5-3 win.

Edmonton will look to even the series in Game 4 at home on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET.