At the time of Wednesday afternoon’s trade, Nurse was the second-longest tenured Edmonton Oiler, behind just Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Over 12 seasons with the team, Nurse played 798 games with 88 goals and 324 points, with another 100 postseason games.

It was time for the two parties to separate, and in the end, Oilers general manager Stan Bowman did quite well in the trade and with the ensuing moves. That said, for all the faults Nurse had, he still deserves his flowers for his time in Edmonton.

Let’s take a look at Nurse’s memorable moments as an Oiler.

June 30th, 2013 – Oilers Draft Nurse

Nurse joined the Oilers on June 30th, 2013, as they selected him seventh overall at that year’s draft. Prior to being selected, Nurse played two seasons with the Ontario Hockey League’s Soo Ste. Marie Greyhounds, scoring 12 goals and 41 points in his draft year.

The following season saw Nurse return to the Greyhounds, scoring 13 goals and 50 points in 64 games. Following the season, he played seven games with the American Hockey League’s Oklahoma City Barons, four regular season games and three postseason games, picking up two assists

October 14th, 2014 – Nurse makes NHL debut

Nurse got a taste of NHL life to begin the 2014 season, making his NHL debut on October 14th, 2014. In a 6-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the left-shot defenceman finished as a -1, finishing the game with two hits and two shots on goal. He played another game the following day, a 7-4 loss to the Arizona Coyotes, before being sent down to the OHL.

With the Greyhounds, Nurse scored 10 goals and 33 points in 36 games, along with three goals and eight points as his Greyhounds eventually fell in the OHL’s Western Conference Finals to Connor McDavid and the Erie Otters.

A few months before that, Nurse and McDavid won the gold medal together at the 2015 World Junior Championships, with Nurse collecting an assist in seven games. He finished out the season with the OKC Barons, picking up four assists in four post-season games.

October 27th, 2015 – Nurse scores first NHL goal, becomes NHL regular

The 2015-16 season marked Nurse’s first full professional season as he aged out of junior. Beginning the season with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, Nurse picked up an assist in six games, before earning a call-up to the Oilers toward the end of October, 2015.

In a 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild on October 27th, Nurse scored his first career goal in his season debut, going end-to-end and ripping a wobbling puck over Devan Dubnyk’s left shoulder. It was the first of 88 goals he scored as an Oiler, and showcased his smooth skating.

In the end, Nurse played 69 games with three goals and 10 points to end the season. With the Oilers out of the playoff race, Nurse rejoined the Condors for three more games, his final taste of non-NHL hockey.

April 12th, 2017 – Nurse makes playoff debut

Nurse missed a large chunk of the 2016-17 season due to an ankle injury, playing just 44 games where he scored five goals and 11 points. Nurse missed all of December and January, before returning late in January to help the Oilers down the stretch run.

On March 28th, the Oilers defeated the Kings by a score of 2-1, with Nurse picking up an assist on what was the game-winning goal. That victory punched the Oilers’ ticket to the postseason, their first trip to the playoffs since 2006.

Like most players on the team, April 12th, 2017 was the first time Nurse stepped on the ice in a playoff game, logging a little over 18 minutes in what turned out to be a 3-2 overtime loss to the Sharks. Nurse went on to pick up an assist in Game 2, one of two assists he’d get in the Oilers’ 13 playoff games that season.

June 29th, 2021 – Nurse earns Norris votes

Riding high off their first postseason appearance in over a decade, the Oilers regressed in 2017-18, missing out on the playoffs. For his efforts, Nurse scored six goals and 26 points in 82 games, his first full-season in the league. It also happened to be the first season where he played at least 70 games (COVID years not counting).

In 2018-19, Nurse scored a then career-best 10 goals and 41 points in 82 games. Nurse became the first Oiler since 2008-09 to register 40 or more points, when Sheldon Souray and Tom Gilbert finished with 53 and 45 respectively. It also marked the first of seven consecutive years where Nurse finished with 40 or more points.

Still, it was another disappointing season for the Oilers, missing the playoffs yet again. In 2019-20, the Oilers started strong and were in a playoffs spot in March, with Nurse scoring five goals and 33 points. However, the pandemic hit, and the Oilers were bounced in four games to the Chicago Blackhawks.

With Canadian teams forced into one division, Nurse popped off in 2020-21, scoring a career-best 16 goals with 36 points in 56 games. Of his 16 goals, 15 of them came at even strength, leading all NHL defencemen in that category and finishing second in both goals and points for defencemen.

Following the end of the season, Nurse finished seventh in Norris Trophy voting when the award was given to Adam Fox. Nurse earned three second and third-placed votes, getting 76 votes in total.

That summer, Nurse signed the eight-year, $9.25 million AAV deal he is currently on, with his fantastic 2020-21 season being a contributing factor (as was Oscar Klefbom’s career-ending injuries).

May 4th, 2022 – Nurse scores first career playoff goal

Nurse and the Oilers had a bunch of individual success up until this point, but aside from their 2017 run, they had failed to go on deep playoff runs. That changed in 2021-22, as the Oilers finished second in the Pacific Division and went on to beat the Kings and Calgary Flames in the first two rounds.

The left-shot defenceman had a solid 2021-22 season, scoring nine goals and 35 points in 71 games, and on May 4th, 2022, he scored his first career NHL postseason goal. On a rush, McDavid found Nurse on the weak side, with the defenceman ripping it past Jonathan Quick for a 2-0 lead, eventually winning that game 6-0.

It was the first of seven playoff goals he’d score for the Oilers, amassing an additional 22 assists for 29 points in 100 games.

April 1st, 2023 – Nurse sets new career-high in points

There have been just two times in his career where Nurse has reached the 40-point plateau, the first in 2018-19, and the second in 2023-24. He accomplished his current career-best season in points on April 1st, 2023, scoring a goal in the Oilers’ 6-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.

Nurse scored a goal the following game as well, a 3-1 victory over the Kings, giving him a total of 12 goals and 43 points in 82 games. Then in the post-season, Nurse picked up four assists in 11 games, as the Oilers were bounced by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights.

In Game 4 of that series against the Golden Knights, Nurse dropped the mitts with Nicolas Hague in a blowout victory. Because of how late it occurred, Nurse was given an instigation penalty and a one-game suspension, the same number of games Alex Pietrangelo was given for his slash, but I digress.

The Oilers finally broke through in the 2024 and 2025 playoffs, making back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals where they ultimately lost to the Florida Panthers. Nurse finished the 2023- season scoring 10 goals and 32 points, adding two goals and six points in 25 playoff games. Then in 2024-25, he scored five goals and 33 points in 87 games, with a career-best three goals and eight points in 22 playoff games.

That brings us to the 2025-26 season.

April 16th, 2026 – Nurse plays final regular-season game as an Oiler

The 2025-26 season was tough for Nurse, and for the Oilers as a whole. While they started rough in the two prior seasons, the Oilers never really got going. Over 82 games played, Nurse scored seven goals and 24 points in 82 games, the first time he failed to reach the 30-point plateau since 2017-18.

Nurse’s final regular season game in blue and orange came on April 16th, 2026. Needing a win to guarantee home-ice advantage, Nurse picked up an assist on Colton Dach’s goal midway through the final frame in what was a 6-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Not only his last point as an Oiler, but also the Oilers’ final goal of their 2025-26 regular season campaign.

April 30th, 2026 – Nurse plays final game as an Oilers

That win earned the Oilers home ice advantage, but it didn’t help a banged up group, as the Ducks won in six games to send the Oilers home early. Nurse, usually paired with Connor Murphy, actually had a strong postseason, as the Oilers scored seven goals and allowed three with him on the ice during five-on-five action.

But by the end of the season, it was clear that the two parties needed a change of scenery. The Oilers needed cap space, and that $9.25 million annual cap hit was a big obstacle in navigating this off-season. Nurse, who always had his play under a microscope, needed a fresh start.

On July 1st, the fresh start was found as Nurse expanded his trade list from three teams. Shortly after it was reported that he did that, the Sharks swooped in, taking his full cap hit and exchanging Shakir Mukhamadullin and prospect Zack Sharp.

Nurse did the Oilers a huge solid by waiving for the Sharks, and despite his flaws, should be remembered as a valuable leader for the team.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.