The Edmonton Oilers have a $74 million problem, but the only question is whether any team will be willing dance partners to help general manager Stan Bowman solve that problem.
The writing appears to be on the wall when it comes to Darnell Nurse’s future with the only NHL franchise he has ever known. Since the Oilers’ first-round exit from the playoffs this spring, Nurse’s name has been thrust into the rumor mill time and again as the primary option for Bowman to perform some much-needed surgery on this roster.
But a $74 million contract with a $9.25M cap hit is tough to ship out, as Edmonton will no doubt learn this summer. That said, there seems to be a tiny sliver of hope for the Oilers after all.
Oilers Could Do Business With Pittsburgh Penguins in Darnell Nurse Trade
So far, three teams have been linked with a trade for Darnell Nurse: the Toronto Maple Leafs, the San Jose Sharks, and the Vancouver Canucks.
The appeal in Toronto is obvious, since the city’s close to home. San Jose is in dire need of defensemen, and a veteran like Nurse, who has extensive playoff experience, will fit in seamlessly on a roster needing some steel to complement the velvet glove that is Macklin Celebrini.
Vancouver is in need of a cultural reset, and Nurse would contribute in a meaningful way if that’s the aim, having served as part of the Oilers’ leadership group over the years.
As it turns out, there may be a fourth team in the mix. In his latest column for The Athletic, Oilers analyst Allan Mitchell wondered if the Pittsburgh Penguins might come calling for Nurse. “Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas was Nurse’s GM in Sault Ste. Marie during his junior years with the Greyhounds,” Mitchell noted.
Mitchell also linked the New Jersey Devils with a Nurse trade, considering his OHL coach at the time, Sheldon Keefe, is now the head coach in New Jersey.
Over the weekend, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that Oilers brass reached out to Nurse after their 2025 season came to an end in the Stanley Cup Final, enquiring if Nurse would be willing to waive his no-trade clause.
“He was upset that that got out,” Friedman reported. “He said no, he wouldn’t, and we reported on this pod, and it became a big story out there. And Nurse was really upset about that, which is totally fair,” Friedman said. He also added that the Oilers haven’t had that same conversation with Nurse just yet.
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However, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reports that Edmonton management is due to have a sit-down with the veteran blueliner sooner rather than later.
While Nurse’s on-ice production has taken a hit over the last few years, he still remains a minute-munching defenseman capable of going up against the elites. Nurse has proven to be a fantastic skater with a somewhat questionable puck IQ, but a change in scenery may benefit both parties at this point.
Nurse, of course, has full say over where he lands, owing to his no-trade clause. That little hiccup will ease next year when his NTC transforms into a 10-team no-trade list, but next year may be one year too late, since Connor McDavid will be eligible for an all-important extension, ramping up pressure on the Oilers brass.
