The Edmonton Oilers would prefer to trade defenseman Darnell Nurse before next season starts, sources told Sportsnet's Mark Spector.
Nurse has four more seasons left on his contract with a $9.25-million cap hit. His pact contains a full no-movement clause for another year, but his protection decreases to a 10-team no-trade list July 1, 2027.
Oilers general manager Stan Bowman will talk to Nurse in the coming days about whether the blue-liner wants to stay in Edmonton, sources told Spector. If Nurse wants to stick with the Oilers for another year, the team will reportedly welcome him back and shelve trade talks until next summer.
Bowman has reportedly been open to moving Nurse since the end of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
Nurse tallied 24 points in 82 games last season while averaging 20:58 per contest. He posted a minus-12 rating and poor defensive metrics, as he has for the last several seasons.
The 31-year-old averages 33 points per 82 games in his 12-year career. He notched a career-high 43 points in 2022-23.
The Oilers drafted Nurse seventh overall in 2013 and he debuted with the club in the 2014-15 season. He's the team's second-longest tenured player behind Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
