The Edmonton Oilers will get a chance to reflect on their trade that sent Darnell Nurse to the San Jose Sharks this offseason.
On Saturday, the Oilers and Sharks will face off. It’ll be Nurse’s first game against his former team.
Nurse was the No. 7 overall pick by the Oilers in the 2013 NHL Draft and had played his first 12 seasons in the NHL for Edmonton.
The top-notch defenseman played 798 games for Edmonton and had 88 goals with 236 assists (324 points). He also had 1,629 hits and 1,466 blocked shots as one of the most physical players in the league.
This offseason, though, Nurse was dealt from the Oilers to the Sharks.
He has played four games already with San Jose and has notched a goal.
“One of the best things I ever learned from playing in a market like that is to be mentally tough, to just focus on what you can control and let the rest take care of itself,” Nurse told reporters on Friday. “Just the logo, right? You wear the logo for so long, you just look at it. It’s going to be weird.
Why Did Oilers Trade Darnell Nurse?
The Oilers were looking for two things: Salary cap relief, and a chance to alter the look of their defensive unit.
Nurse is still on a contract worth $9.25 million in cap hit through the 2029-30 season.
He also has seen his play decline in recent years.
Nurse heard the whispers and made it clear he was ready to be traded, as well.
The other big reason the Oilers chose the Sharks specifically is that San Jose didn’t want Edmonton to handle any of the salary. The Sharks were willing to pay the full value remaining on Nurse’s contract.
That made them the logical team to connect with. The return included Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp, but the Oilers were just happy to get Nurse off the books.
Why Sharks Traded for Darnell Nurse
It was logical for the Sharks, too, who had the cap room to make this work and are a much younger team than Edmonton.
Nurse has the chance to be a leader for a Sharks team still learning how to win. He can go from just one piece of an older team to a veteran presence on a young team.
San Jose is hoping to put together a special run in the years ahead led by Macklin Celebrini, but it’s not always easy for a team to breakthrough even when it has the talent.
The Sharks are hoping that having Nurse around can help them take the next step.
“He’s been awesome. Again, great human being first and foremost,” Oilers head coach Ryan Warsofsky told reporters on Friday. “Team guy. He is in great shape. Plays, you know, with some snarl and some attitude, but understands what it takes to win at this level. He’s been a great addition to our group, on the ice, off the ice, as a leader.”
Why Oilers Traded Darnell Nurse to Sharks