The Edmonton Oilers ended the Utah Mammoth’s seven-game winning streak with a 6-3 win at Rogers Place on Tuesday. Connor McDavid scored twice, while Leon Draisaitl had two and Evan Bouchard had three points. The Oilers fell behind early but responded well in the second period, scoring five goals to take control. It was one of their most complete performances of the season, showing improvement on both ends of the ice.
The Oilers now have a 5-4-2 record and sit fourth in the Pacific Division. They are averaging 3.18 goals per game while allowing 3.09, with McDavid and Draisaitl leading the offense. As the Oilers continue to build consistency, management may look to make roster adjustments that benefit the team in the long term.
One name being mentioned in early trade conversations is defenseman Darnell Nurse, whose large contract continues to draw attention.
Are the Oilers Considering Moving Nurse?
Trade discussions around Nurse have started to gain some attention. The 30-year-old defenseman is under an eight-year, $74 million contract with a $9.25 million cap hit. This season, he has one goal and four assists in 11 games, along with a minus-three rating. While he remains a leader and key part of the defense, some have questioned if his current performance aligns with his salary.
Nurse has been with the Oilers since being drafted seventh overall in 2013. He is known for his skating, strength, and ability to handle tough minutes. However, his contract often becomes a contentious issue as the team seeks ways to manage the salary cap.
According to The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
“A league source with front-office experience said the Oilers should prioritize landing a top-four, right-handed defenseman that the club lacks behind Evan Bouchard. The source added that more cap space can be created by trading Nurse — his full no-movement clause is reduced to include a partial no-trade addendum in 2027 — even if that means retaining money.”
This discussion follows Connor McDavid’s recent two-year contract extension, where he chose to stay at the same $12.5 million AAV to give the team more financial flexibility on the roster.
“It gives us a chance to continue chasing down what we’ve been chasing down here with the core guys we have in here, and we have a little bit of money to work with too,” McDavid said after signing his extension in early October.
As the NHL salary cap continues to increase, the Edmonton Oilers need to manage their spending carefully. If the Oilers explore a trade involving their veteran defenseman in the future, it could create space to add another steady blueliner or a scoring winger before the trade deadline.
the D-man that should be traded is Bouchard, but at 10M per season who’s taking that deal…