Oilers to Sit Down with Darnell Nurse This Week About a Pending Trade

“Darnell Nurse and the Edmonton Oilers are headed for a breakup,” writes Mark Spector of Sportsnet. On Thursday afternoon, the analyst and scribe wrote that the clock is ticking on a trade and added, “Conversations with several current and former employees all lead to the same place: the Oilers are ready and willing to trade Nurse as soon as they are able.”

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That is apparently going to start this week as GM Stan Bowman is expected to sit down with the defenseman to talk about his future and where, if anywhere, he’s willing to be traded.

This does not mean a trade is guaranteed. Spector adds, “If Nurse, 31, says he wants to be an Oiler for another season, then trade talk will be shelved and the team will welcome him back for one more year. When he realizes that a trade is imminent, however, two sources have told Sportsnet that the Oilers’ preference would be to move Nurse before the start of next season.”

It doesn’t sound like the Oilers or Nurse will be updating media throughout the conversations or the process. Meaning, we may never learn what Nurse’s answer is, and if he decides he’s willing to try a fresh start.

Trading Darnell Nurse Is Not a New Idea

This won’t be the first time the Oilers have considered moving Nurse. In fact, they’ve already asked him about a trade, reportedly last summer. He declined to waive his no-move. The team had a disappointing season, however, and this is now the second time the team will ask. For the defenseman, how many times can a team open up that discussion before it’s a tiring one?

Nurse is a serviceable defenseman, but the Oilers feel they’re spending too much on a player who is on the second pair, and has been viewed as a healthy scratch candidate before. His friendship with Connor McDavid has played a big role in the Oilers not pushing harder for a trade. That is unlikely to change.

Still, the eight-year contract with an average annual value of $9.25 million has been an anchor, affecting both his play and how fans see him.

Next: Oilers Might Blow Their Free Agency Money on Panthers Players