Darnell Nurse has requested a trade from the Edmonton Oilers: report
The Edmonton Oilers are reportedly headed for a divorce with veteran defenceman Darnell Nurse.
It was reported earlier this offseason that the Oilers would be looking to trade Nurse this summer and had recently given him an ultimatum. It sounds like his time in the Alberta capital is coming to an end.
According to Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Nurse has approached Edmonton and has asked to be traded.
The 31-year-old still has four more years remaining on an eight-year contract that carries a hefty $9.25-million cap hit.
“According to multiple sources, the defenceman recently went to the organization and said he would like to be traded. He now feels it is time for him to move on,” Friedman reported on Thursday.
“Those same sources indicated Nurse has given a list of three to five teams he would consider. He has the right to limit the number of legit destinations, so we’ve got some work to do to figure it out.”
Reporting w/@SportsnetSpec
Darnell Nurse asks for trade, agrees itās time for a fresh starthttps://t.co/86Rep6aske
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 11, 2026
The biggest obstacle in potentially trading Nurse, outside of his pricey cap hit, was the fact that he carried a complete no-movement clause. This meant that no trade could happen without his approval.
With that blockade now out of the way, and Nurse giving GM Stan Bowman a list of teams he is willing to consider, it will be much easier to facilitate a trade out of Edmonton. It has not been revealed what teams are on Nurse’s approval list.
The writing has been on the wall for Nurse ever since the Oilers were eliminated in the first round of this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. He had another disappointing season, had his role on the team diminish, and was starting to face serious heat from both Oilers fans and the media.
With Jake Walman expected to take on a bigger role on the Edmonton blueline next season, it was likely that Nurse would fall to the team’s third-pairing. Considering Nurse is being paid like a top-pairing defenceman, that would not be ideal for either the player or the team.
Moving on from Nurse will also open up a lot of cap space for Edmonton this summer, allowing Bowman a bit more flexibility to improve the roster in other areas.
It remains to be seen where or when a deal involving Nurse could get done. There are a number of teams around the NHL who could value the veteran blueliner and would have the space to take on his contract, including the San Jose Sharks and his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs.
It’s been an interesting start to the offseason for the Oilers, but the fireworks have yet to come.