NHL insiders link surprising team to massive Oilers heavy contract trade
The Darnell Nurse trade chatter just got specific. David Pagnotta reports the San Jose Sharks are a potential fit for the Edmonton Oilers blueliner.
The Mug NHL flagged the report Monday afternoon, putting Mike Grier's name back in the rumor mill with a real target attached.
This isn't a small swing. Nurse carries a $9.25 million cap hit, the tenth-highest among NHL defensemen.
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That number has hung over Edmonton's roster for a while. After a first-round exit to Anaheim, Stan Bowman has every reason to listen on a contract that big.
Nurse posted 7 goals and 17 assists across 82 regular-season games. He finished the year at minus-12 on a team that scored 282 goals.
For a top-pairing left shot making nine figures and change over the deal's life, that production line raises eyebrows in any market.
Why Mike Grier would even sniff at that contract
San Jose finished 22nd overall at 39-35-8. The Sharks gave up 292 goals, more than any contender would tolerate on the back end.
Grier needs a veteran left shot to insulate Macklin Celebrini's group. Nurse, at 31, fits that age and role profile without being a rental.
But the money is the money. The Sharks have cap space the way a kid has Halloween candy in November, and Edmonton needs an exit ramp.
Nurse's playoff run hinted at a reset. He played all 6 games against the Ducks, didn't register a point, and finished plus-4.
The defensive number was clean. The offensive output wasn't there when Connor McDavid needed help generating from the back end.
Kris Knoblauch leaned on him heavily anyway. That's part of what makes this complicated for Bowman, you can't just shop a 25-minute defenseman for cents on the dollar.
Edmonton went 2-1-1 against the Sharks this season, including a 5-2 win on April 8. None of that matters now.
What matters is whether Grier views Nurse as a foundational piece or an overpriced bridge. And whether Edmonton is willing to retain to make a deal move.
The contract runs long. The cap hit isn't shrinking. Somebody is going to have to blink first, and the offseason just gave both GMs a runway.
| POLL | ||
MAI 18 | 623 ANSWERS NHL insiders link surprising team to massive Oilers heavy contract trade Should the Oilers move Darnell Nurse this summer? | ||
| Yes | 552 | 88.6 % |
| No | 71 | 11.4 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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29 MAI 2026
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| B | P | PTS | ||
| Taylor Hall | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Logan Stankoven | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jackson Blake | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Cole Caufield | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alexander Nikishin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
| Kirby Dach | - | - | - | |
| Phillip Danault | - | - | - | |
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