Morgan Rielly almost wore teal. Elliotte Friedman says the San Jose Sharks turned him down and took Darnell Nurse instead.
Friedman dropped that line Monday on the latest 32 Thoughts, and it puts fresh eyes on both defensemen.
The Sharks had a real choice between the two, according to Friedman, and they preferred Nurse's game over Rielly's.
Elliotte Friedman: “Look, it's interesting. [the Sharks] could have had [Morgan] Rielly, they got [Darnell] Nurse. I heard they really preferred Nurse. I heard that was a preference. They had a choice and they took Nurse over Rielly.”
Rielly closed his season with the Maple Leafs at 36 points in 78 games, 11 goals and 25 assists, finishing at a minus-18.
Nurse wrapped his year with the Oilers at 24 points over 82 games, seven goals and 17 assists, and a minus-12 rating.
Toronto stumbled to a 32-36-14 finish, 28th overall with a minus-46 goal differential, a brutal backdrop for any defenseman.
Edmonton went 41-30-11 for 93 points and a plus-13 differential, a much stronger season than what Rielly and the Leafs put together.
Nurse's $9.25 million price tag looks steep next to Rielly's numbers
Nurse carries a cap hit of $9,250,000 this season. Rielly counts for $7,500,000 against Toronto's books.
Their special-teams roles split too. Rielly chipped in one power play goal and five power play assists, while Nurse logged two shorthanded assists on the penalty kill.
Stan Bowman has run Edmonton's front office since July 2024, and Nurse remains part of the core he inherited.
New benches are already shaking things up too. Jim Hiller took over as Toronto's head coach on June 17, and Mike Babcock stepped in for Edmonton on June 23.
Would San Jose make that same call again knowing what both blue liners look like right now?
Over their last 10 games, Rielly put up three points on two goals and an assist. Nurse managed a single helper over that same stretch.
Preferring Nurse's physical game over Rielly's offense was defensible back then. It looks a lot shakier watching how thin Edmonton's production from the back end has gotten lately.
Friedman didn't say whether the Sharks would still make that same call today. Given what both rosters look like heading into next season, that's a fair question to sit with.
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Did the Sharks make the wrong call taking Darnell Nurse over Morgan Rielly?
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