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Potential trade destinations for Oilers’ Darnell Nurse
Edmonton Oilers Darnell Nurse
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jun 4, 2026, 18:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 4, 2026, 18:04 EDT
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It seems like only a matter of time before the Edmonton Oilers trade defenceman Darnell Nurse.
On Thursday afternoon, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reported that the Oilers want to move Nurse “as soon as possible.” This just adds to the smoke around the 31-year-old left-shot defenceman since the Oilers’ season ended prematurely.
According to PuckPedia, the Oilers have a little over $14.5 million in remaining cap for next season, needing to sign a right-shot defenceman, a backup netminder, and several bottom-six players. They’ll probably have enough to do all that, but if they want to make a big splash, they’ll have to shed some more cap.

Nurse has a $9.25 million cap hit, so moving most or all of that cap space would be huge for the Oilers. While he has a full no-move clause for the 2026-27 season, this is Nurse’s final season where he has full control of where he ends up, as his protection drops to a 10-team no-trade list beginning in 2027-28.
Although the Nurse fatigue in Oil Country is high, he still has positive value. He eats minutes, is physical, and is capable of chipping in on the scoresheet. The 2025-26 season was the first time Nurse didn’t reach the 20-point plateau since his rookie season in 2015-16.
Of course, $9.25 million is a large cap hit for the type of player Nurse is. But with the cap floor jumping to $76.9 million for the 2026-27 season, as well as Nurse still holding value (with some salary being held), shedding his cap hit isn’t as far fetched as one would think.

San Jose Sharks

Take the San Jose Sharks, one of the teams he’s been linked to most, for example. Right now, the Sharks are projected to have a cap hit of a little under $63.5 million, well below the cap floor. Even if they take on Nurse’s full cap hit, they’ll still need to add salary just to reach the cap floor.
They also need defencemen. Only Dmitry Orlov, Sam Dickinson, Mattias Hävelid, and Luca Cagnoni have a contract for the 2026-27 season, with Shakir Mukhamadullin also being a restricted free agent. That’s a young defence core, as 2025-26 was Dickinson’s rookie season, and Cagnoni has just nine NHL games under his belt.
Not only does Nurse’s cap work for the Sharks, but he also fills a need.

Detroit Red Wings

Then you have the Detroit Red Wings. The Oilers have been linked to one of their goaltending prospects, Sebastian Cossa, for the better part of a year. Cossa, who is also from Hamilton like Nurse is, has played just one NHL game. 
While he’s still one of the better goaltending prospects in the league (.915 save percentage, 2.33 goals against average in 39 AHL games), he lost his starting job to Michal Postava this postseason. That doesn’t even mention Trey Augustine, another one of the Red Wings’ interesting goaltending prospects.
Like the Sharks, the Red Wings have a need for a defenceman like Nurse. They’re projected to have a cap hit of a little under $75 million, so about $2 million under the cap floor. Then you factor in Dylan Larkin reportedly asking for a trade, which may drop them even further below the cap floor.
But on top of that, the Wings’ have three left-shot defencemen locked up next season, Simon Edvinsson (RFA), Ben Chairot, and Albert Johansson. Nurse easily slots in as their second-pairing left-shot defenceman with plenty of playoff experience.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently projected to be about $5 million over the cap floor, but have plenty of space to absorb Nurse’s contract. There’s merit to this as well, as the Oilers reportedly attempted to trade Nurse to the Leafs for Nic Roy ahead of the 2026 deadline.
Of course, the Oilers and Leafs could always swap two left-shot defencemen in need of new scenery. Morgan Rielly, 32, carries a cap hit of $7.5 million with a full no-move clause, with a deal expiring following the 2029-30 season.
Trading two players with a NMC can be difficult, but it’s worth noting that Hamilton, Nurse’s hometown, is about an hour drive from Toronto. Rielly was born in Vancouver and played his junior hockey in Saskatchewan.
If the Oilers and Leafs were to make this sort of swap, the Oilers would free up a little under $2 million in cap space. However, trading Nurse to the Leafs seems less likely than the Sharks.

Four teams below the cap floor

Those are just two of the 10 teams currently under the cap floor. The Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, and Chicago Blackhawks all sit well below the cap floor and can absorb Nurse’s $9.5 million cap hit with room to spare. Realistically, you can make the same argument with the Blackhawks, who have a young defence core in need of a veteran presence.
Ultimately, it’s Nurse’s decision on whether or not he’s traded, and according to Spector, the Oilers will be okay with keeping him for another season if he chooses that path. That said, trading Nurse this off-season is mutually beneficial for both parties, as the Oilers free up cap space and Nurse chooses where he wants to go before losing much of his trade protection following 2026-27.

READ MORE: How the Oilers arrived at the Darnell Nurse dilemma

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