There is a lot of chatter around the league about Darnell Nurse, maybe more than people would expect, leading the Edmonton Oilers to believe they won’t have to retain a lot on his contract.

The Oilers defenceman is clearly generating talk amongst general managers with a weak free agency class. Nurse had originally given Stan Bowman somewhere between three and five teams that he would waive his no-move clause to be traded to.

But other teams across the league want to know if that stops them from making an offer.

Rasmus Ristolainen’s name is out there in trade discussions, but he’s a right-handed defenceman. The Oilers would likely look for a lefty to help fill that roster spot left behind. Ristolainen has one year on his contract worth $5.1 million.

The Flyers just acquired Simon Benoit from the Leafs in a multi-player swap on Tuesday, a third-pairing defender who’s played both sides before. Edmonton may look at Nick Seeler, 33, who has two seasons left at $2.7 million.

Teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings appear to be interested. Friedman said on Oilers Now on Tuesday that Nurse’s three initial teams were all in the Eastern Conference and in the United States.

Fans eyeing a return to the organization for Michael Kesselring will be disappointed. He was traded to the Sharks on Wednesday afternoon, as the Sabres moved up from 27th overall to the 20th overall pick in a pick swap.