Darnell Nurse\u2019s days with the Edmonton Oilers appear to be numbered.<\/p>\n
Nurse\u2019s $9.25 million cap hit has been a hindrance for the Oilers for quite some time, but his full no-movement clause made it next to impossible for management to move him. That may no longer be the case.<\/p>\n
Last week, Sportsnet\u2019s Mark Spector reported that the Oilers would like to move Nurse<\/a> before the 2026-27 season gets underway. That said, the 31-year-old still controls things due to his no-movement clause.<\/p>\n That will change next offseason, as Nurse\u2019s contract changes to a 10-team trade list. According to Sportsnet\u2019s Elliotte Friedman, the Oilers are now giving him an ultimatum: help them facilitate a trade this summer, or be traded no matter what next offseason.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thing about Nurse is that he\u2019s a year away from his no-trade clause going from a full to a partial, and it\u2019s clear they\u2019re going to say to him, \u2018This is the last year you have control. Do you want to work with us or not?\u2019 We\u2019ll see what he says,\u201d Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cBasically, Nurse has been told, \u2018You can work with us this year, or we\u2019ll do it on our own next year.\u2019 We\u2019ll see. You still have to be able to make a trade. You have to know what the market is. You have to understand what you can do out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Friedman also reported that Oilers management sat down with Nurse after the 2024-25 season to see if he\u2019d be open to a deal. He made it clear he wasn\u2019t open to it and was frustrated that the conversation got out.<\/p>\n This time around, Oilers management didn\u2019t discuss a potential trade with Nurse at his end-of-season media availability. Friedman believes their brass was taking its time to decide what to do before coming to this conclusion.<\/p>\n Nurse has four seasons remaining on his deal, which could make it difficult for the Oilers to trade him. That said, they are clearly looking to do so, which adds yet another wrinkle to what is shaping up to be an interesting offseason in Edmonton.<\/p>\n