Now that the 2025-26 season has officially ended for the Edmonton Oilers after being ousted in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, some news and rumours are starting to trickle out from the season that was.
On top of that, there has been plenty of fan and insider speculation about what moves Oilers general manager Stan Bowman can make. Changes need to be made and after an underwhelming year, there is plenty of time for the club to take a step back and assess.
One player who has drawn plenty of criticism and trade speculation is longtime Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse. The 31 year old blueliner is one of the highest paid Oilers and even one of the NHL's highest paid defenceman, carrying an annual average value of $9.25 million per season.
According to recent rumours, the team attempted to move him and even got close, almost trading him to the Toronto Maple Leafs for forward Nic Roy. The team of course did not end up moving Nurse and most likely pivoted to a move with the Chicago Blackhawks to acquire Jason Dickinson.
Nurse on the move?
On a recent episode of Oilersnation Everyday, NHL insider David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period revealed the news that the Oilers had seriously shopped Nurse at the trade deadline and revealed some details of the trade talks.
“We touched on this after the trade deadline, I’ve mentioned it a few times: Nurse’s name was out there the week of the deadline... I can’t imagine new guy wanting to do that. One of the other pieces part of that deal that Edmonton was looking at, from what I was told, he’s on Colorado right now." Adding “Edmonton spoke to Toronto ahead of the deadline to try to make that happen, obviously it didn’t, and it was really that close at the time, from what I was told. His name was circulating. They spoke to the Leafs, that didn’t happen. We’ll see where that kind of goes.”
Although it is not exactly news that Nurse's name was on the trade block, this is the first time that we are getting genuine information in regards to what a potential return could have looked like and that the Oilers discussed a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Given the recent trade discussions revolving around Nurse, it is likely that the Oilers will revisit these talks this summer. Whether Bowman is able to trade him or not, expect this to be a common talking point moving forward.
The Oilers will have a lot of work to do this summer in order to turn things around and if they are able to free up salary cap room by moving Nurse, the club should visit it.
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