Darnell Nurse was asked about the difference between playing in California and back home, and the Sharks defenceman answered with a sarcastic shot aimed squarely at Edmonton.
"You know, with my low IQ, I don't know if I'm able to answer your questions," Nurse told reporters. "I think your questions are a little above my head. Next."
The jab was clear enough. The "low IQ" line appeared to reference years of criticism of his hockey sense during his time in Edmonton.
The message underneath was even clearer. Nurse may miss his old teammates, but he doesn't sound like he misses the market or its media.
Playing in Canada comes with a microscope. Every mistake in Edmonton gets replayed, debated and dissected, and a defenceman on a big contract feels every bit of it.
Nurse, 31, carries a $9,250,000 cap hit with the Sharks. He already has a game-winning goal this season, and San Jose is off to a 3-1-0 start.
Ryan Warsofsky's Sharks host Edmonton with Nurse facing his old team
The timing is perfect. The Oilers visit San Jose on Saturday, and the defenceman will line up against his former team.
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Edmonton arrives at 3-0-1, with Devon Levi chasing a fourth straight win to start the season. Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard will be on the other side of the ice.
Macklin Celebrini's status is also worth watching after he sat out in Dallas with a lower-body injury.
It was petty, and it was also earned. A player who wore that much criticism for that long is allowed one sarcastic answer once he's out of the spotlight.
It's like showing up to your old office's holiday party wearing a T-shirt with your former boss's worst quote printed on it.
Expect the Edmonton media to remember it. Saturday's game just picked up a storyline it didn't need.
Nurse got the last word this week. On Saturday, the scoreboard gets one too.
Was Darnell Nurse right to take a shot at Edmonton's media?
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