Darnell Nurse’s future with the Edmonton Oilers remains one of the NHL’s biggest unanswered questions, but the latest development points to why a deal has yet to come together.
Multiple teams have explored moving for the veteran defenseman, yet every conversation appears to circle back to the same financial roadblock. Fresh insight from Elliotte Friedman has now revealed the specific condition that brought Edmonton’s discussions with the Pittsburgh Penguins to a halt.
As a result, the focus has shifted from where Nurse could land to what the Oilers refused to give up to make it happen.
Elliotte Friedman Explains Why Darnell Nurse-Penguins Trade Talks Stalled
Nurse’s future in Edmonton remains uncertain, but Elliotte Friedman has revealed that the biggest hurdle in talks with the Pittsburgh Penguins had little to do with interest between the two teams. Instead, the sticking point centered on what the Oilers refused to accept in return.
Speaking on the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman explained that Nurse has narrowed his list of acceptable destinations. “Nurse has a three-team list that he’s willing to go to: Boston, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia,” Friedman reported, confirming that the veteran defenseman is controlling the process through his full no-move clause.
While Pittsburgh emerged as one of the most realistic landing spots, Friedman noted that negotiations quickly reached an impasse. “I think Pittsburgh was interested, but Edmonton had to take money back, which they were not willing to do. So that was the challenge there,” he said.
This detail offers important context behind why discussions never progressed despite the Penguins having nearly $37.8 million in available cap space. Although Pittsburgh can absorb Nurse’s $9.25 million cap hit in its entirety, the Oilers were unwilling to accept bad salary in return, making a deal far more difficult to complete.
The financial disagreement also aligns with earlier reports suggesting Pittsburgh could have asked Edmonton to take back an undesirable contract, such as Ryan Graves’ $4.5 million annual cap hit. Instead, Stan Bowman appears focused on moving Nurse’s contract without reducing Edmonton’s future flexibility.
Friedman also addressed Philadelphia’s position, explaining that the Flyers face different financial challenges. “Philly, I just think money has to go out for him to come in,” he said before adding, “I think teams have talked to them about Rasmus Ristolainen. As of the weekend, I heard there was nothing that really had them thrilled about it.”
This effectively cools the momentum between Edmonton and Philadelphia for now, even though the Flyers remain on Nurse’s approved list because of his family connections in the area.
Boston also remains an option, but Friedman indicated that additional roster movement would be required before negotiations could gain traction. “Boston, again, I think things would have to happen,” he explained.
Perhaps the most intriguing update involved the Anaheim Ducks.
Friedman revealed that Edmonton is attempting to widen Nurse’s trade options, saying, “I think Edmonton is trying to get Nurse to open up his list.” He added that “there’s at least some noise that Anaheim has interest,” noting that the Ducks have vacancies on their blueline. However, “at this point in time, Nurse has not agreed to that,” leaving Anaheim on the outside despite its significant cap space.
For now, the Oilers remain caught between finding the right trade partner and maintaining their financial position. Until either Edmonton softens its stance on taking back salary or Nurse expands his list of approved destinations, one of the NHL’s biggest trade discussions appears destined to remain unresolved.
