Connor McDavid broke his silence on the Edmonton Oilers’ biggest trade of the summer on Monday.

McDavid spoke to the media at the Zach Hyman Celebrity Classic and weighed in on Stan Bowman’s offseason moves, including the trade earlier this month, in which he dealt Darnell Nurse to the San Jose Sharks for defenceman Shakir Mukhamadullin and prospect Zachary Sharp.

While he was clearly disappointed to lose his longtime teammate, McDavid understands that moves like this are sometimes necessary.

“Yeah, it’s exciting, first and foremost,” McDavid said of the team’s offseason additions. “Obviously disappointing, too, to lose someone like Darnell and the rest of the guys, but it’s part of the business, unfortunately.”

McDavid and Nurse have a long history together, dating back to their teenage years. They first played together in 2015 at the World Junior Championship, where they won a gold medal with Team Canada. Over the next 11 years, the two played more than 700 NHL games and 100 playoff games together for the Oilers.

“It’s hard to really put into words what Nursey’s been to not only me but the whole group and everybody in Edmonton, so extremely disappointed to see that happen,” he said. “But, at the same time, really excited about some additions. The new coach, some good players. It’s an exciting time in Edmonton.”

The Oilers drafted Nurse seventh overall back in 2013, but he didn’t become an NHL regular until McDavid’s rookie season in 2015-16. Four years later, he was named an alternate captain, joining McDavid as part of Edmonton’s leadership group. The Oilers’ captain has always spoken highly of Nurse.

“Just his energy,” said McDavid following Nurse’s appointment as alternate captain. “He brings such an energy to the rink every day. I’m sure you guys can see it on the ice in practice, in games, in the room. He’s a guy who just brings it.”

Nurse signed a massive contract extension worth an AAV of $9.25 million following a superb 2020-21 campaign. He remained a key part of Edmonton’s blueline in the years to follow, but he never replicated his performance from that season, and his contract became the target of immense scrutiny.

On July 1, Bowman pulled the trigger on a trade with the Sharks, which cleared Nurse’s money off the books and provided the Oilers with the cap relief they needed to sign free agents and address other needs. The move marked one of the most significant changes to the club’s leadership group in some time.

Following the trade, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are the last players remaining who have been in Edmonton with McDavid since his rookie season.

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