5 teams Edmonton Oilers could try to swing a Darnell Nurse trade with
One of the biggest moves the Edmonton Oilers could make this summer is trading Darnell Nurse.
The longtime Oilers rearguard has already been a hot topic among trade rumours this offseason. Reports landed last month that GM Stan Bowman already attempted to deal Nurse to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the latest trade deadline, and it’s very possible negotiations will be revisited this summer.
Nurse has struggled to live up to his expensive $9.25-million cap hit, and he still has four years remaining on that contract. Moving away from him would give the Oilers a ton of cap relief and allow them to make a big swing to improve the roster elsewhere.
Edmonton also has an obvious second-pair to slot into Nurse’s spot with Jake Walman. It just makes sense for the Oilers to explore moving the 31-year-old, but who could they work with to make it happen?
Not every team will be eager to take on the last four years of Nurse’s contract, and he still has to waive a no-movement clause to make any trade happen. It feels like a tall order for Bowman, but there are a few teams that would make some sense…
1. San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks may be Edmonton’s best shot at finding a fit for Nurse.
Heading into the summer, Sharks GM Mike Grier will need to do a lot of work to fill out his blueline. San Jose has just one veteran defender under contract next season in Dmitry Orlov and will certainly need to make a big splash to bring in some experience on the blueline.
Combine that need with about $40-million cap space and taking on Nurse seems like a no-brainer for a Sharks club trying to make that next step. San Jose is also seemingly on the verge of becoming a desirable location for players to waive to, considering their young core, warm locale, and having much less fan and media pressure on them.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Oilers have already tried to send Nurse to Toronto, but couldn’t get things across the finish line.
John Chayka is the man in charge of the Maple Leafs now, and while the team definitely needs to improve on the blueline, it’s unclear if they feel Nurse is worth the investment. Toronto will have about $22 million in available cap space this summer, so they could make it work if they wanted to make it happen.
Nurse is also from Toronto, and it feels likely he would waive to go back home.
3. Detroit Red Wings
Steve Yzerman seems to always be looking to make a splash with the Detroit Red Wings.
It was another disappointing season for the Wings as they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the 10th-straight season. Yzerman has shown that he is not afraid to take big swings on players hoping to rebound on new teams, bringing in guys like Justin Faulk and Ben Chiarot in recent years.
There is a need to bulk up the Red Wings’ blueline, and Detroit has more than enough cap space to fit Nurse in. The only questions would be whether or not they want the Oilers to retain or add a sweetener to make it happen, and if Nurse would waive to go to Detroit.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins
There is a familiarity between Nurse and Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas.
The two were both involved with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds at the same time between 2011 and 2014. Dubas was the GM of that team, while Nurse was one of the team’s top players during that span.
There should definitely be a soft spot for Nurse as Dubas looks to improve the Penguins this summer. Like the other teams on this list, there are question marks about the blueline, and Pittsburgh will be swimming in cap space with around $36 million to spend this summer.
5. Vancouver Canucks
If the Oilers are looking for a team open to taking on big contracts for future assets, a phone call must be placed to the Vancouver Canucks.
The NHL’s worst team last year is eyeing a lengthy rebuild, and they will be trying to stockpile as many young players and draft picks as they can. The money won’t be an issue for a Canucks team with about $21 million to spend this summer, and Nurse would likely play top-pairing minutes with them.
The hard part would be getting Darnell to waive his no-move to go to Vancouver.