The Truth About Rielly and Nurse in Today’s NHL

There’s always that fan knee-jerk question: “Who’d want that contract?” when a veteran struggles and carries a big cap number. It sounds like the debate’s closed. In reality, the NHL doesn’t work that way. Teams trade, reset, and reboot players all the time. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. And the real question is whether the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly and the Edmonton Oilers’ Darnell Nurse are change-of-scenery candidates or straight negative-value contracts.

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Both Nurse and Rielly Have Been Better in the Past

To be blunt: both guys are on the downslope. They’re expensive, their best physical edges aren’t what they used to be, and their offensive pop has faded. Nurse doesn’t punish guys entering the zone anymore. Rielly never really did that bruiser stuff to begin with. Both carry heavy minutes and heavy expectations while failing to match their price tags. Add already-bad contract timing from Edmonton and Toronto, and you’ve got front offices that should’ve known better. So, logically, no other GM should be expected to heroically bail them out for free.

But NHL trades are messy. There’s a window where a fresh start works. Both players still have physical tools left, the contract isn’t crippling (or the selling team eats some money), and the role mismatch is obvious. Such trades have worked in the past.

For example, when Tyler Seguin left Boston for Dallas. Ryan O’Reilly played well enough in Buffalo with the Sabres, but really flourished in St. Louis. And, Nazem Kadri was moved from the Maple Leafs and helped the Colorado Avalanche win a Stanley Cup. Those moves weren’t magic. Each move was a context change. Different usage, clearer roles, less pressure, and suddenly a player looks valuable again.

If Nurse or Rielly Had Physically Declined, That’s Another Story

It stops working when the decline is mostly physical and permanent. If a player’s skating, reaction time, or durability are gone, switching locker rooms won’t fix that. Is that the core of the Rielly/Nurse problem? Neither is a young player in their prime who just needs fewer minutes and a cleaner role. They’re high-minute veterans with heavy contracts and signs of real erosion. That makes them risky trade pieces.

So who would trade for them? Smart GMs will, but only under tight conditions. Would there be salary retention, a shorter term, and a clear plan to reduce usage and reframe the role? Or does the acquiring team have a salary cap situation where taking on the money now unlocks roster flexibility later? It’s not about making a bad call; it’s about appetite for risk and fit.

The Bottom Line Is that Nurse and Rielly Are Tradeworthy

Rielly and Nurse aren’t automatically untradeable, but they’re not easy sells either. The distinction between miscast vs. physically declined could be everything. If they’re miscast, a new home and smart usage could revive them. If they’re worn down, any trade will require someone else to eat pain, and their value tanks.

Still, the same player in a different context might work just fine. That’s a truth in NHL trade markets.

Related: Rielly-to-Sharks Talk Picks Up Steam as Oilers Trade Option Fades