The Edmonton Oilers took to the ice for practice today with a much different look to their lineup, including three notable absences with Darnell Nurse, Stuart Skinner, and John Klingberg.

Darnell Nurse changed. Coming off two trying seasons ... He's split his time next to Brett Kulak and Troy Stecher, elevating two erstwhile depth defencemen into solid #4s. Nurse's play with ...

With Evan Bouchard not quite repeating last year's career year and Mattias Ekholm showing signs of slight decline, Nurse has been the Oilers' best defender some nights. Bouchard and Ekholm are still one of the best pairings in the league, making Nurse a very valuable luxury.