Latest Trade Pitch Sends Darnell Nurse to LA for Former Oiler

The Darnell Nurse trade rumors are swirling. After long being thought of as an immovable contract at $9.25 million per season, along with a full no-movement clause through 2026-27, it’s starting to feel like a deal sending the veteran defenseman out of Edmonton could come as soon as this summer.

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GM Stan Bowman and the Oilers know how important this upcoming season is in terms of keeping Connor McDavid around long-term, and reports suggest they’re prepared to be bold as a result, with Nurse very much in play.

Several landing spots and mock trades have been floated in recent weeks, and the latest from Connor Doyle of The Hockey News would send Nurse to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for former Oiler Cody Ceci.

Doyle wrote:

“The trade worth having is Cody Ceci for Darnell Nurse, one for one. And before you dismiss it, hear it out. Edmonton’s situation is straightforward. They have Bouchard, Ekholm, Walman, and, with last season, a shutdown defender in Murphy. Even in Ekholm’s increasing age, it’s a core that envies, particularly the Kings. They have a defensive core that no longer needs Nurse in the same capacity, as they’ve moved on from players who are defense-first, like Brett Kulak, and don’t need the secondary, or now tertiary offensive support Nurse provides, as he’s shifted mostly into a criticized shutdown role for $9.25 million. Edmonton is not paying for offense from their third-pairing right-hander. They need cap flexibility for the next two seasons of McDavid before full-blown panic sets in.

LA’s case is much simpler. They simply need to be able to move the puck, and until they fix that all other problems move to the backburner. Their foundational problem is the blue line, and it does not have a complicated diagnosis. The Kings are among the worst transition teams in the NHL, with fixtures that prefer to rim it, glass it, regroup, and force forwards to chip and chase,”

The 31-year-old Nurse has four years remaining on the eight-year, $74 million extension he signed with the Oilers back in 2021. Meanwhile, Ceci, 32, just finished the first season of the four-year, $18 million deal he signed with Los Angeles as a free agent last July.

Kings GM Ken Holland is certainly familiar with Nurse, having been the one to sign him to that hefty extension during his time in charge in Edmonton. That familiarity is notable, and Los Angeles could absolutely use help on the left side of its blue line.

This would be selling relatively low on Nurse for Bowman and the Oilers, though if they’re simply looking to create cap space and land a reliable depth defenseman in the process, perhaps it’s worth considering.

Next: Could Maple Leafs and Oilers Explore Swap of Polarizing Defensemen?