While the cap is going up a lot faster now than it was in 2021, the contract is still inefficient. Nurse is now, at best,<\/a> a second-pair defenceman, and is consistently guilty of poor positioning leading to missed coverages, or a significant amount of own goals. And it has been revealed that the Oilers talked a Nurse trade this past season. Allegedly, they tried to take advantage of the Toronto Maple Leafs\u2019 GM being Brad Treliving before he got axed.<\/p>\n This observer sees more fault in the Oilers\u2019 depth<\/a> than its top-nine forwards and top-four defenceman. However, if Edmonton is to move on<\/a> from Nurse, what would a trade realistically look like? <\/p>\n Let\u2019s pick three teams who could vie for Nurse, and see what the offers could be.<\/p>\n Given the kind of contract Nurse has, trading him won\u2019t be easy<\/p>\n Parameters have to be set first, given the as-mentioned clunkiness of Nurse\u2019s contract<\/a>. That\u2019s likely what has prevented any trades to this point: trading an anchor contract is no easy feat. As such, its salary receives heavy consideration here.<\/p>\n Note also that, for 2026\u201327, Nurse still holds a full no-movement clause, meaning he dictates his prospective trade destination. It at least turns into a modified no-trade clause after next season, making trades easier then. But for now, his determining a destination means Edmonton has less leverage. As much as it would be nice to fleece another team in this hypothetical exercise, it would require miracles.<\/p>\n Toronto Maple Leafs: The already attempted path<\/p>\n The trade: TOR receives Darnell Nurse (25% retained), EDM receives Morgan Rielly and a third-round pick<\/p>\n There\u2019s merit to this proposal, as David Pagnotta has reported that this plus Nicolas Roy nearly happened inseason. Further, Darren Dreger is reporting that the Leafs will ask Rielly to waive his own trade protection. Where there\u2019s smoke, especially when multiple insiders are on similar wavelengths, there\u2019s usually fire.<\/p>\n Jim Matheson wondered if Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse would waive his no-movement clause this summer.<\/p>\n If Nurse is willing to accept a trade, Matheson suggested shipping him to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Morgan Rielly.<\/p>\n \u2014 The Mug NHL (@TheMugNHL) May 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n This trade has multiple reasons for functionality. The Leafs would get a small bit of cap relief, as Nurse at 25% retained would come in at just under $7M. Reilly, by comparison, makes $7.5M per season. The cost to the Leafs for getting that retention, ultimately, would be in conceding a draft pick.<\/p>\n For the Oilers, this makes sense. Yes, you\u2019re eating $562,000 more salary, but if you can get paid to retain on Nurse\u2019s deal, do it. That draft pick can help you get a depth pickup at the next trade deadline, among other uses it has. A lot worse could be done, if we\u2019re being honest. <\/p>\n San Jose Sharks: The newly rumoured trade partner<\/p>\n The trade: SJ receives Darnell Nurse, EDM receives Ty Dellandrea and a sixth-round pick<\/p>\n The Sharks, along with the other team following on this list, have an impending issue. They will need to reach the cap floor in an environment where the cap is skyrocketing. Further, four different Sharks defencemen are unrestricted free agents this summer, and a fifth (Shakir Mukhamadullin) is a restricted FA. Put simply, San Jose\u2019s going to need defencemen this summer.<\/p>\n ive also seen way too many Darnell Nurse gifs<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1000006331.png\")
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