Darnell Nurse won’t return to Edmonton until the new year.

Upon the release of the 2026-27 NHL schedule, fans can start to make plans for the marquee games next year.

One of the longest-serving Edmonton Oilers of all time, Darnell Nurse, is sure to get a video tribute when he returns to Rogers Place for the first time with the San Jose Sharks.

Barring injury, Nurse and his new team are scheduled to visit the Oilers on Jan. 13. Nurse will see his old teammates early in the season, as Edmonton has an early California road trip to the SAP Center on Oct. 10.

On July 1, the team dealt Nurse to the Sharks in exchange for defenceman Shakir Mukhamadullin and defensive prospect Zack Sharp, without having to retain any of his $9.25 million AAV cap hit. Nurse has four years left on that contract. Mukhamadullin signed a two-year contract worth $1.75 million earlier this month.

Maybe it was written in the stars for Nurse to join the Sharks. The 31-year-old posted a picture of himself as a kid wearing a Sharks jersey to his Instagram.

The relationship between Nurse and the organization deteriorated over the years, leading to some mixed emotions and an eventual trade request.

“I don’t think anyone expects more of themselves than me,” said Nurse at his introductory press conference.

“When you have a high cap hit, there are things that were definitely warranted,” he said. “That my play warranted them. You could look and see there were probably a lot of things that weren’t warranted. And for whatever reason, I was the problem.

“That’s sport, though. That’s how it works. Especially in big markets and whatnot, like you’re never gonna sell newspapers, you’re never gonna be able to get the attention without going negative. I think someone’s gotta bear the brunt of that.”

General manager Stan Bowman used some of the cap savings to target left-handed defenceman Ryan Shea in free agency, helping fill the void left by Nurse.

The lingering question for the Oilers in Nurse’s absence? Who gets an “A” on their jersey? Zach Hyman, Mattias Ekholm, and Evan Bouchard are likely favourites, while Vasily Podkolzin could be a wild card.

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