Whenever a goal is scored against the Edmonton Oilers, one of the most common reasons -- according to fans -- is longtime Oilers defenceman, Darnell Nurse. According to some NHL insiders it feels that the organization agrees and he may find himself on the trade block, if he has not already.
The club's longest tenured blueliner has become a scapegoat for the Oilers and it is not a new thing. It became even worse when he signed his massive contract extension in 2021, paying him $9.25 million annual average value over eight years.
This was around the same time when every top pairing defenceman in their mid-20's was signing for $9 million or more like; Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, Charlie McAvoy, Adam Fox and others. At the time, Nurse fit the bill and was used as the club's top defenceman, logging roughly 25 minutes a game and providing the Oilers with solid two-way play.
Darnell Nurse is not worth his contract
Now, four years in, Nurse is not worth the price tag. His peers have mostly surpassed him and the ones who have not, have drawn similar ire from their fanbases with every flaw and mistake plastered all over the internet the morning after a game.
Although sometimes a select few take it too far, by and large the fanbase is correct. Nurse has seen his minutes, production, and overall play slip and given the expensive contract, he is not returning proper value for a team that desperately needs to squeeze out every dollar it can.
This begs the question of who would want to take on his expensive contract and what a deal involving him and his hefty contract could look like.
Nurse could be on the move this summer
Leading up to the trade deadline last week there were plenty of Oilers rumours circulating. In it all there were NHL insiders and Oilers analysts and reporters speaking about the possibility of a Nurse trade. Andrew Lawton former player and NHL general manager went on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer and said he "100%" could see a team being interested in acquiring Nurse.
This follows up a report from last summer where Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that the Oilers approached Nurse about waiving his no-movement clause. Then, most recently NHL insider David Pagnotta reported that Stan Bowman and Oilers brass had discussions about moving the 31 year old blueliner.
Pagnotta wrote; "Don’t shoot the messenger, but the Edmonton Oilers discussed the possibility of moving Darnell Nurse. I can’t pinpoint how deep trade talks actually went, but that’s a name to watch this summer, NMC and all."
Many fans could get their wish and the Oilers convince Nurse to waive his NMC and accept a trade out of town. If the Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers trade is any indication, the move may even work out quite well for the Oilers. For those that do not remember, Jones and his $7 million cap hit ($2.5 million retained) was dealt for a first round pick and goaltender Spencer Knight.
As the saying goes, where there is smoke there is fire and with all of the discussions within the market and outside of it, speaking about the possibility of moving Nurse, there seems to be a fire brewing.