McDavid opens up about Edmonton Oilers trading Nurse: 'Extremely disappointed'
Connor McDavid lost one of his best Edmonton Oilers teammates over the summer.
After yet another disappointing season from Darnell Nurse, the Oilers opted to trade him to the San Jose Sharks earlier this summer. The move marked the end of a 12-year stint in the Alberta capital for Nurse, the majority of which was spent skating alongside McDavid.
It was clear there was a strong bond between the two players, and trading him away would be an emotional move for longtime teammates like McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. However, there had not been any public comments from those players regarding the move until Monday morning.
The Oilers captain took some time to talk to the media while playing at Zach Hyman’s annual golf tournament in Ontario, where he opened up about his thoughts on Nurse being traded.
McDavid didn’t hide the fact that he was sad to see a longtime friend be traded away.
“Disappointing to lose someone like Darnell, and the rest of the guys [that left the Oilers this summer], but it’s part of the business unfortunately,” McDavid told reporters. “Hard to put into words what Nursey’s been, not only to me, but the whole group and everybody in Edmonton.
“Extremely disappointed to see that happen, but at the same time, really excited about some of the additions. New coach, some good players, it’s an exciting time in Edmonton.”
Connor McDavid says he is "extremely disappointed" to lose Darnell Nurse, but also praises the Oilers' new additions. pic.twitter.com/jbzhMV7Tb7
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 27, 2026
Losing Nurse will take some adjusting in the Oilers locker room, as he was long considered one of the team’s leaders and had been an assistant captain since the 2019-20 season. It remains to be seen which player will take over that assistant captain vacancy, but a player like Hyman could make sense.
While disappointing, it also appears that McDavid is understanding about why the team did it. The trade opened up a ton of cap space and will allow the Oilers to make a potentially massive splash at next season’s trade deadline.
The Oilers captain was also asked about Edmonton hiring Mike Babcock as head coach. McDavid has previously spoken about why he is a fan of the move, but he added a little bit more of his perspective.
“We see a great opportunity to be coached by someone who has coached in every single big game there is to coach in,” McDavid said. “You name it, he’s done it. It’s a great opportunity for us players to be coached by somebody like him and learn off him.
“With where our group is at and what we’re looking for, he’s the perfect fit. He’s not gonna need to come in and find who he is as a coach or find himself. In those situations, he knows what he’s about as a coach, and it’s our job as players to be ready to go.”
"You name it, he's done it. It's a great opportunity for us players to be coached by somebody like him."
Connor McDavid speaks on Mike Babcock taking over as head coach of the Oilers. pic.twitter.com/u4vKmRifG0
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 27, 2026
The Oilers will be looking to prove that last season’s struggles are officially behind them. While they may be without Nurse, Edmonton still boasts some of the best players in the entire league.
McDavid will be as motivated as ever to finally deliver a Stanley Cup to the Alberta capital.