The Edmonton Oilers have had incredibly high expectations in recent years, but despite having not one, but two of the best players in the entire National Hockey League.
There’s been many reasons for the Oilers struggles to take the final step towards a Stanley Cup, and while goaltending is arguably the biggest of all, the blue line has failed to do what’s necessary to be Champions as well. Unfortunately for the Oilers, they signed Darnell Nurse to a long-term, incredibly expensive deal, but after another failure in 2025/26, the team have been wanting to move that contract, and in recent times, there’s been interest around the league in acquiring teh veteran.
Darnell Nurse Drawing Trade Interest
GettyDarnell Nurse of the Edmonton Oilers.
Despite being owed $9.25 million a year for the next four seasons, Nurse has still been relatively productive, and if the Oilers are willing to retain on him to garner an additional asset, that’s something that could make a trade happen.
Ever since the speculation began over Nurse, he’s been linked to several teams such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with the 31-year-old reportedly wanting to head East if he is traded. However, with the Oilers being desperate to acquire assets and move off the deal, the team will be happy to get anything back for him, and with the NHL Draft in full swing, more speculation has emerged over the blue liner.
Anaheim Ducks Linked to Darnell Nurse
Of course, there’s expected to be surprises this summer, as we’ve already seen many heading into the 2026 NHL Draft, and now, it appears we may get another surprise, with NHL Insider David Pagnotta linking a shock team to Nurse.
According to Pagnotta, the Pacific Division rival Anaheim Ducks have shown increased interest in trading for Nurse, and with the team set to potentially lose both John Carlson and Jacob Trouba following the 2025/26 season, adding more bodies to the blue line makes sense. On top of that, they’ve got some players like Mason McTavish drawing interest on the trade market, along with the draft pick acquired in the deal that saw them move Olen Zellweger, they’ve got the assets to acquire a player to fill that hole.
However, Nurse is one of the most expensive players in the league, and given that the Oilers will more likely than not have to retain on Nurse to simply move his contract, and as a result, the Ducks likely would not have to give up too much to get him. Despite the contract, Nurse has been somewhat productive recently, posting north of 30 points in each season since 2018/19 (except this past year), but for a young Ducks team, this would be a surprise move.
Ultimately, someone is going to take a chance on Nurse, especially if the Oilers retain on the contract, but with the Ducks looking to continue growing around this young core, it would be an absolute shock to see them truly look to acquire Nurse.
Oilers Defenseman Darnell Nurse Drawing Interest From a Division Rival