"Obviously it's an awesome day for my family, for myself," Nurse said. "Obviously any time you have a team and a management group that believes in you the way that our team in Edmonton does, it always feels good. I've always been very confident in myself in my abilities to play, and to have that reciprocated on the other side is a great feeling. Honestly, I just want to get back to work and get this season going."
The 26-year-old defenseman will play this season as the last of a two-year contract he signed with Edmonton on Feb. 10, 2020.
"I think there was a report that came out about [a four-year contract], and that's kind of where our mindset was, where my mindset was at first," Nurse said. "Obviously, with a couple of deals kind of setting the market for [unrestricted free agents] and defensemen and people who play big minutes on their teams, it kind of shifted the focus of the conversation to a longer-term deal.
"Obviously for me, I've been very fortunate to be a part of this organization since being drafted here in 2013, and it's a team that's given me a lot of opportunity to grow, not only on the ice but also off the ice, become a part of the community in Edmonton. It's a place I'm really excited to call home for the next nine years."
Defensemen Dougie Hamilton (New Jersey Devils), Seth Jones (Chicago Blackhawks), Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche) and Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets) each signed a contract or an extension of at least six years and at least $9 million per season.
Nurse scored 36 points, including an NHL career-high 16 goals, in 56 games with the Oilers last season. He led Edmonton in time on ice per game (25:38) and penalty minutes (57), was tied for seventh in the NHL with a plus-27 rating, and was one of seven players with at least 100 blocked shots (100) and 100 hits (117).
Nurse had one assist in four games when the Oilers were swept by the Winnipeg Jets in the Stanley Cup First Round.
"It's exciting," Nurse said. "[Captain Connor McDavid] just sent me a text before it all came out, asking me. … We see each other each and every day, right? So he just said, 'Is it real?' I'm like, 'Yeah.' And he's like, 'I can't wait to obviously get back to the grind and win some here.'
"It's exciting. Me, Connor, Leon [Draisaitl], we came into the league at the same time. [Ryan Nugent-Hopkins] was here a little bit before us, but we've been through the highs, lows, times that weren't so great, times that were good, so it's fun, and at this point it's an opportunity to get a few more cracks at this as a group and hopefully there's many to come."
Selected by Edmonton with the No. 7 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, Nurse has scored 157 points (45 goals, 112 assists) in 406 regular-season games and has five assists in 21 playoff games.
It is the second eight-year contract an Oilers player has signed this offseason. Nugent-Hopkins, a forward, signed an eight-year, $41 million contract ($5.125 million AAV) on June 29.
Edmonton also signed goalie Mike Smith (two years), forwards Zach Hyman (seven years), Warren Foegele (three years), Devin Shore (two years) and Derek Ryan (two years), and defensemen Tyson Barrie (three years) and Cody Ceci (four years) this offseason.
"It's been, as a player, very exciting," Nurse said. "If you look at our team from when the season ended to now, I think we've made just a lot of improvements on the back end. We've added some really steady pieces that have played a lot of games and each and every night are going to bring it, so it's very exciting to see the pieces that came in. I've had the opportunity to work out with Warren Foegele and Zach Hyman, and those are two more guys that each and every day at the gym, you see that they bring the attitude that they want to get better and better.
"To have that type of mentality, I don't think you can have enough of it on your team, and I think they'll bring that to our team and continue to push us to another level. It's a team that you have a lot of faith in, and a team that if you look on paper, there's a ton of improvements that [general manager] Kenny [Holland] made, and I'm just excited about the season upcoming."
NHL.com staff writer Tim Campbell contributed to this report
