With the Edmonton Oilers’ early playoff elimination, the front office is expected to be busy in the offseason in an effort to course correct. The Oilers had an underwhelming season overall, raising sufficient doubts about whether they would have even made the playoffs had they not played in the Pacific Division.
To recuperate from the 2025-26 season, Edmonton could be interested in offloading the staggeringly large contract of one particularly under-performing defenseman, but that may not sit well with the top dogs in the Oilers locker room.
Oilers’ Connor McDavid Might Not Be Open to Darnell Nurse Trade
The Oilers’ defensive situation is widely considered one of the most pressing areas of development. The team has struggled on the blueline all season, even bringing back Paul Coffey to work under Kris Knoblauch on February 18, 2026, to bolster the playoff push. The Oilers, of course, eventually made the playoffs, but were knocked out by the Anaheim Ducks in six.
Attention has naturally shifted to the holes in the current roster, and 31-year-old defenseman Darnell Nurse’s position remains under threat. Nurse has not exactly delivered value in line with his $9.2 million cap hit. The blueliner has often figured among the Oilers’ potential trade assets because of his poor showing.
Edmonton radio host Jason Gregor highlighted that Nurse’s performance does not justify his mammoth contract and that it would make sense to part ways with him. Gregor also acknowledged that Connor McDavid may not be fully on board with moving Nurse, but the 31-year-old is simply too big of a cap liability.
“When I hear people say, well, you got to listen to your captain to a point because everybody has a bias, right? Great guy, they love him. I get all that. But the bang for your buck is not there,” Gregor explained on the Jason Gregor show.
At the end of the day, Nurse’s no-show against Anaheim eluded no one. The team’s defense heavily contributed to its failure, allowing the Ducks to net 26 goals in six games. To add to that, the Oilers’ offense, also compromised by injuries to Connor McDavid, Jason Dickinson, and Adam Henrique, laid waste to their odds of making it past Anaheim.
Nurse’s regular-season was also below-par. He scored 24 points in 82 games, necessitating a critical review of his contract.
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Nurse is halfway through his $74 million contract, and this might be the time for both parties to go their separate ways. However, any such move will require his consent, given the no-movement clause in his deal. After the coming season, Nurse’s contract includes a 10-team no-trade list, giving the Oilers’ brass more options.
McDavid took a considerable discount in his extension with Edmonton to offer Stan Bowman the cap flexibility he needs to make the Oilers a better, more competitive team, and letting go of Nurse’s contract could be a starting point to build a more balanced roster.
