Nurse tenure in Edmonton may be over — The Fourth Period
The Edmonton Oilers had shopped defenceman Darnell Nurse ahead of the trade deadline, as TFP first reported in March, and that was the first indication that his time in Alberta may be coming to an end.
TFP’s David Pagnotta reported after Edmonton’s season came to an end that the Oilers would continue to explore a Nurse trade, even with a full no-movement clause in place.
Earlier today, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reported that Oilers GM Stan Bowman will be speaking with Nurse in “the coming days” to discuss his future with the club. According to Spector, the Oilers would like to move Nurse “before the start of next season.”
The Oilers offered Nurse to the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of the trade deadline but the Leafs declined.
The San Jose Sharks are among the teams rumoured to have interest in Nurse.
Nurse, 31, is entering the fifth season of an eight-year, $74 million contract. He is due a $10 million salary next season, a $2 million salary in 2026-27 and a $1.2 million salary in each of the final three years of his deal. The final four years of his deal include a $6 million signing bonus payment each year.
It is unclear if the Oilers are willing to retain any portion of Nurse’s contract to help facilitate a trade or what the Oilers are looking for in exchange for his services.
In 82 games with the Oilers this season, Nurse registered seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points, along with a career-high 104 penalty minutes.
