No real movement on Nurse trade front. Oilers have spoken with the short list of teams, but they are in a waiting period. Things can change quickly at the draft or if other moves are made. It was interesting listening to DJ Smith talk about Nurse. He coached him at the Worlds Show more
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Darnell Nurse could stay in Edmonton, but Flyers emerge as option
Photo credit: © James Guillory-Imagn Images
Jun 24, 2026, 15:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 24, 2026, 16:04 EDT
The writing appeared to be on the wall for Darnell Nurse and the Edmonton Oilers.
General manager Stan Bowman was going to try leveraging Nurse to consider a deal to waive his no-move clause, and Nurse ended up requesting a trade, submitting a three-to-five team trade list.
Whether it’s a trading holding pattern or the positive words shared by the Oilers’ new associate coach D.J. Smith, there does seem to be a possibility, maybe slim, that Nurse isn’t dealt.
Oilersnation’s Jason Gregor says there is “no real movement” on the Nurse trade front, but his conversation with Smith on The Jason Gregor Show on Sports 1440 suggests that the coach running Edmonton’s blueline takes a liking to Nurse’s skillset.
“I hope that I can coach Nursey because he’s a big man with reach and length,” Smith told Gregor. “Our penalty kill over there was 93 per cent, and net 100 per cent. He was the number one guy out the door.
“It was a different system where we pressure, pressure, pressure. He hasn’t had the opportunity to do that in Edmonton, as it’s been more of a sit at the net and make reads kind of style. I think with his length and his athleticism, he can be an elite penalty killer in the National Hockey League. Now, that’s not my business (trade request), that’s his and his family’s and Stan’s, but I would certainly welcome him back.”
Nurse’s preferred trade destination is Philly
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman contends that Nurse’s original three-team trade list was limited to Eastern Conference teams outside of Canada, while other reports have suggested that West teams like the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks would have interest.
In his latest trade board, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos believes Nurse would prefer to be traded to the Philadelphia Flyers.
“Though Nurse’s $9.25 million AAV is staggering, don’t underestimate how many teams are exploring the possibility of trading for him,” said Kypreos. “With a no-move clause, Nurse is in control of his destiny for one more year before his contract goes to a 10-team list.
“I’m hearing his preference right now is Philadelphia where he has family ties to his quarterback uncle Donovan McNabb. However, the rival Pittsburgh Penguins may also be a factor here. Kyle Dubas has his eye on Nurse and wants to add muscle to the back end.”
While the Oilers appear to be targeting a defenceman as part of the return package to fill a roster spot, saving a few extra million on the cap as free agency approaches is a driving factor for making the trade.
The Oilers committed five years to Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy, totalling $8.1 million against the cap. As of Wednesday, Edmonton has $7.415 million in cap space for next season, according to PuckPedia, with roster spots to fill. Those include another goaltender, a defenceman depending on the Nurse trade, and whether they push for a top-six winger.
Nurse staying ‘plausible’
But Nurse’s control could make a trade tricky, despite there being “legitimate interest” according to Friedman, and how much, if at all, the Oilers want to retain on his contract.
On Monday’s edition of Oilers Now, Bob Stauffer alluded to the possibility of a trade not happening.
“There is a scenario where Darnell Nurse returns to the Edmonton Oilers this year,” said Stauffer, alluding to Chicago and San Jose as destinations that would make sense for the team, but aren’t necessarily on his trade list.
“That is a plausible scenario. Some might say that wouldn’t be positive for the Edmonton Oilers. Time will tell in that regard…If it’s Chicago or San Jose, they’ve got lots of room to take on a lot of cap. Is that a different deal than if you’re maybe having to retain a little to trade him?
“If they’re not on Nurse’s list, they’re not on Nurse’s list… might he have to expand his list and could he be traded to one of those teams? Perhaps.”
In his last appearance on Oilersnation Everyday on Tuesday, Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period also suggested the Pennsylvania connection.
“By the sounds of things, it’ll probably be a more interesting trade than I think we all anticipate,” said Pagnotta. “Whether it’s Pittsburgh or Philly or another team. But it does sound like this is going in an interesting direction.
“How’s Edmonton going to utilize that? Can they fill other voids on their team as part of it? I would be shocked if goaltending is addressed as part of a Nurse trade, but you know, we’ll wait and see.”
Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He’s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.
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