The Edmonton Oilers would likely love to offload defenseman Darnell Nurse this summer. After all, the veteran continues to underperform his significant salary in Western Canada. At the moment, Nurse still has four more years remaining on his substantial $9.25 million AAV deal. The contract is seemingly hindering Edmonton’s ability to make significant offseason moves.
Nurse is also open to departing the Oilers in the coming weeks. In fact, the blueliner even requested a trade out of town earlier in the summer. Despite this, Edmonton’s general manager, Stan Bowman, is having trouble striking a deal. At the moment, Nurse is only willing to play with the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, or Pittsburgh Penguins. Bowman has attempted to make a trade with these three teams without success.
Sportsnet’s Mark Spector is reporting that the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks are also interested in acquiring Nurse. The player, however, is not budging on his preferred destination. Because of this, Spector believes that Nurse could very well remain with the Oilers for the start of the 2026-27 season.
“At this point, it’s looking very much like Darnell Nurse may have to come back this year, play for the Edmonton Oilers,” claimed Spector. “And next year at this time, Stan Bowman, I believe, has 21 teams he can trade Darnell Nurse to. It’s very realistic that Nurse does not get traded and ends up back on the Oilers blue line this year.”
Edmonton Oilers May Have to Keep Darnell Nurse for One More Year
GettyDarnell Nurse is currently the fourth-highest paid player on the Edmonton Oilers.
As Spector hints, Nurse’s trade protection with the Edmonton Oilers shifts in 2027. Due to previous negotiations, the defenseman currently has a full no-trade clause. This stipulation gives the player significant control over his future. Similar situations recently occurred with Brad Marchand and Artemi Panarin. Both of these stars were able to pick their next team, essentially handcuffing their former clubs.
However, Nurse’s clause will eventually move to a 10-team no-trade list. This would give the Oilers significantly more power in the situation. Edmonton and Bowman would not have to get approval from Nurse regarding his next team, outside of these 10 clubs. If the Oilers find a trade partner among the remaining two-thirds of NHL teams, they can finalize a deal.
The downside to this is the waiting part. Keeping Nurse and his massive contract is essentially blocking the team’s ability to grab a quality netminder. Edmonton desperately needs to address their precarious goalie situation. The Oilers have been linked to cheaper options such as former Florida Panthers backup Daniil Tarasov. Bowman also officially acquired Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres on July 1.
Edmonton Hopes Nurse Ultimately Alters Trade His List
Bowman and the Edmonton Oilers are still likely hoping that Nurse eventually expands his trade list this summer. The offseason only just started, and there is plenty of time to make a trade before the 2026-27 campaign starts.
It, however, remains to be seen just how badly Nurse wants out of Edmonton. Although he did request a trade, he may end up reversing his decision if he cannot land on any of his three preferred teams. The ball is certainly in his court.
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