Oilers and Nurse to Part Ways

The Edmonton Oilers failed to make the Stanley Cup Final this season, after making it back-to-back seasons. This led to some changes for the team. One of those changes is in the head coach. Now, the Oilers are interested in Mike Babcock, a potentially controversial hire. One that Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman seem to be on board with.

As the Oilers navigate a potential hiring of Babcock, they also need to navigate the future of defenseman Darnell Nurse. According to Elliotte Friedman of SportsNet, Nurse has requested a trade. He currently has a full no-trade clause on his contract, making it impossible to trade the blueliner without his permission.

“Last week, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reported the Oilers would like to trade Nurse, and, according to multiple sources, the defenseman recently went to the organization and said he would like to be traded. He now feels it is time for him to move on,” Friedman wrote.

Oilers to Find Nurse a New Home

Nurse was the seventh overall selection in the 2013 NHL Draft by the Oilers. He broke into the NHL for the first time in 2014-15, playing in two games. Nurse then became a full-time NHL player during the 2015-16 season with Edmonton. He has now played 798 games with the Oilers. That is the seventh most games played by an Edmonton player in franchise history. Furthermore, he has scored 88 goals while adding 236 assists.

Nurse also comes with plenty of playoff experience. He has played 100 playoff games at the NHL level, finding the back of the net seven times and adding 22 assists.

Now, Nurse may be looking for a new home. The San Jose Sharks, Philadelphia Flyers, and Toronto Maple Leafs may all be interested in the player. It will be interesting to see where he lands and what Edmonton can get in return. Many of us saw this day coming for a while now.