A $2 Million Question That Plagues the Oilers This Offseason

“I believe there’s an appetite to retain a little bit,’ said David Pagnotta while speaking about a potential Darnell Nurse trade out of Edmonton. While a guest on Hello Hockey (6/13), Pagnotta mentioned that there is interest in the defenseman and that teams are calling, but the contract is a sticking point, as many expected. The question the Oilers have to ask now is, how much should we retain, if any at all? And, what does that do to open the door to other trade opportunities?

Part of the issue is that Nurse has only made so many options available to Edmonton. With a full no-move clause, he’s in control of where he goes, if anywhere. Reports are that he submitted a list of three to five teams, with speculation that almost all are Eastern Conference teams. The one exception is the Los Angeles Kings.

But, if Nurse is flexible, and other teams are checking in, (which I’ve heard they are), how open is GM Stan Bowman and the Oilers open to making Nurse a $7.5 million defenseman, and not a $9.25 million one?

Nurse is overpaid. There’s no doubt about that. Still, there’s interest at his current salary. The trade might require taking back a bad contract or adding a sweetener to sell one of the handful of clubs on his list to eat his whole deal, but he’s a tradeable asset. Not everyone agrees. When asked about how full the Oilers’ inbox would be, TSN’s Darren Dreger said, “With all due respect to Darnell, I think you’d see the cricket emoji…”

If true, what does it mean for Edmonton?

Either they eat $2 million or more, or they take back $2 million or more.

Let’s look at the Penguins, for example. Speculation is that they could be interested thanks to Nurse’s history with GM Kyle Dubas during their time in Sault Ste. Marie. Would Dubas take on Nurse if the Oilers took back a Ryan Graves? What about in Philadelphia, where the Flyers are said to be kicking around this and they are on Nurse’s short list? Some have said the Oilers would love to get Owen Tippett. That’s not realistic. But what about Nick Seeler?

There’s the obvious link with LA and Kenny Holland, who gave Nurse that big contract. The Oilers would love to get Alex Laferriere back, but would they have to take something else?

If teams like the San Jose Sharks or others want to get involved, how open would they be to taking on Nurse’s full cap hit?

There is good news. Nurse cap hit is $9.25 million but the actual amount owed to him in the final four years of his deal is lower.
(salary + signing bonus)

‘26-‘27 $2M + $6M Total $8M
‘27-‘28 $1.2M + $6M Total $7.2M
‘28-29 $1.2M + $6M Total $7.2M
‘29-‘30 $1.2M + $6M Total $7.2M

As Paul Almeida points out, “Teams already saving up to $2M per season.”

Next: Oilers, Tortorella, and an Interesting Rumor That “Hasn’t Gone Away”