Edmonton Oilers attempted Darnell Nurse deadline trade with Maple Leafs: report
The Edmonton Oilers reportedly tried to swing a blockbuster trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the latest NHL Trade Deadline.
It was a relatively quiet deadline for the Oilers, as they swung a pair of deals with the Chicago Blackhawks to acquire Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson, and Colton Dach. But a new report says that GM Stan Bowman was trying to offload a part of the team’s core and just couldn’t get anything over the finish line.
NHL insider David Pagnotta revealed a bombshell revelation on Tuesday’s edition of OilersNation Everyday that the Oilers attempted to trade Darnell Nurse to the Maple Leafs at the deadline.
While he didn’t say the exact return Edmonton was looking for, it was pretty clearly Nic Roy, who ended up getting traded to the Colorado Avalanche.
“Nurse’s name was out there the week of the deadline,” Pagnotta said. “They offered him up to one team, that team said no, that team now has a new general manager… One of the other pieces apart of that deal that Edmonton was looking at, from what I was told, he’s on Colorado.
“Edmonton spoke to Toronto ahead of the deadline, tried to make it happen… His name was circulating, they spoke to the Leafs, that didn’t happen, and we’ll see kind of where that goes.”
Pagnotta also alluded to the fact that Toronto’s new GM, John Chayka, is unlikely to want to revisit those trade conversations this summer. That would take at least one of the places Nurse could potentially waive to an unlikely destination.
This is a big deal for the Oilers, and it confirms that the team may be looking to shake up the roster in a major way this offseason. Nurse is a fine defenceman, but his massive $9.25-million cap hit has handicapped Edmonton’s cap situation and will continue to do so for the next four seasons.
If they can find a way to offload the majority of that cap hit, it will give Bowman a lot more flexibility in improving the team and bringing in more impactful pieces, even if they need to retain a little off that contract to facilitate a deal.
The team will also have to navigate around Nurse’s full no-movement clause as well.
A lot of work needs to be done this summer to improve the team and set them up for another run at the Stanley Cup. If they don’t find a way to get over the hump next season, it could spell the end of McDavid’s time in Edmonton.
The pressure has never been higher in the Alberta capital, and bold moves will be required this offseason. Trading away Nurse could be one of those things that needs to happen.