Darnell Nurse has requested a trade from the Edmonton Oilers.
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger says Nurse and his representatives submitted a list to the Oilers a week ago and there has already been many conversations.
Nurse is “ready for a change,” reports Dreger.
Nurse, 31, had seven goals and 24 points in 82 games last season while averaging 20:58 of ice time. He averaged 23:03 of ice time in six playoff games as the Oilers fell in the first round.
The 6-foot-4, left-shot blueliner is entering the fifth season of an eight-year, $74 million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $9.25 million. He has a full no-movement clause through next season that will then shift to a 10-team no-trade list in 2027-28.
Nurse helped the Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025, recording five goals and 14 points combined during the two playoff runs.
Drafted seventh overall by the Oilers in the 2013 draft, Nurse has 88 goals and 324 points in 798 career games.
The Oilers are entering an off-season of change after firing head coach Kris Knoblauch last month. The team is considering Mike Babcock to fill the vacant role, but the NHL is moving ahead with its investigation of former Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings head coach following a request from the NHL Players’ Association.
Moving Nurse could free crucial cap space for the Oilers, who currently have a projected $14.59 million in space, per PuckPedia, with 17 players currently signed for next season.
The team has a long list of forwards headed for unrestricted free agency including Adam Henrique, Jason Dickinson and Kasperi Kapanen, in addition to defenceman Connor Murphy and goaltender Connor Ingram.
