Oilers Darnell Nurse drops on Insider's trade list after no teams show interest
If the Edmonton Oilers truly want to contend for a Stanley Cup, they may need to find a way to better spend Darnell Nurse's $9.25M salary.
According to Frank Seravalli, the Oilers would explore a trade for Nurse, but he's dropped to the 24th most likely trade after teams haven't shown much interest, and Nurse's play has declined. Nurse had previously been ranked as a more likely trade candidate.
»He's already not on the first unit power play or penalty kill, he's stuck on the second pair, and that doesn't leave him much opportunity to play up to his $9.25 million cap hit. Other teams are already leery of his contract structure with regards to the $24 million in backloaded signing bonus that makes it almost impossible to buy out.»
- Frank Seravalli
- Frank Seravalli
With the emergence of Bouchard and Ekholm as one of the league's best pairings, the Oilers simply don't need to pay $9.25M for a second pair defenceman. Nurse hasn't lived up to his contract and the Oilers could better spend the money, but no one is looking to take on 6 more years of his contract. If the Oilers were to trade Nurse, they'd need to take a problem contract in return or spend massive assets for a team to take him.
Darnell Nurse isn't the only salary problem the Oilers will have to deal with this offseason. Jack Campbell is expected to be bought out, and the Oilers will have their opportunity to do so after the draft. If the Oilers don't buyout Campbell then, they won't be able to spend the savings in free agency, but they'll have another opportunity to buyout later in the offseason. Other than Campbell, Cody Ceci could also be a cap casualty this summer.
Questions about the offseason could begin tomorrow night for the Oilers if they don't pull off the victory on home ice. It would be incredibly disappointing to be swept and to watch Tkachuk lift the cup in Edmonton, but with the right offseason moves, the Oilers will be back.
Source: Frank Seravalli
25 Names on the NHL trade market
| POLL | ||
Do you think the Oilers will trade Darnell Nurse? | ||
| Yes, he'll be traded | 411 | 50.9 % |
| No, he'll be an Oiler next year | 372 | 46.1 % |
| See Results | 24 | 3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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