Darnell Nurse requested a trade from the Edmonton Oilers on June 11, handing management a short list of three to five teams he would waive his no-trade clause for. The Pittsburgh Penguins made that list. And now, less than two weeks later, with the NHL Draft sitting just one week away, the two teams are in active discussions and a deal could come together faster than we realize.
The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta has been one of the most plugged-in reporters on this situation from day one, first connecting Pittsburgh to the Nurse camp and then breaking the news that actual trade conversations had begun.
“Pittsburgh may be #1 on Darnell Nurse’s list of five teams he would waive for, and the Penguins and Oilers have been discussing a potential trade,” he wrote this week.
Nurse trade rumours intensify as NHL Draft approaches
On where things are headed and when, Pagnotta reported that “Edmonton GM Stan Bowman is not going to rush into a move, but some believe we’ll see a trade around the NHL Draft,” which takes place June 26.
Pagnotta indicated the two front offices have already moved well past the stage of casual interest. In a previous report, he described just how far along the conversations had gotten, saying “I know that Pittsburgh and Edmonton have gone back and forth already on some things, or at least talked about it.” He went further still: “I think there’s a pathway. That is not nothing.”
The main challenge here is that Edmonton wants to move Nurse’s full $9.25M cap hit without retaining any salary, and they want something useful in return. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported earlier this week that the Oilers feel they won’t have to retain much, if anything, on Nurse’s contract. That’s a big ask for most teams but Pittsburgh is one of the few that can genuinely absorb it.
What the Darnell Nurse trade could look like
The Penguins currently carry around $37.8M in projected cap space and sit roughly $10.8M below the salary cap floor, meaning taking on Nurse’s full number actually helps them reach the floor.
The trickier question is what comes back to Edmonton. The Oilers are not in need of more draft picks right now as they need NHL-ready players who can help them stay competitive because of course we’re getting that Stanley Cup. Pittsburgh does have draft capital (their own first, second, and third-rounders in each of the next four years, plus additional picks), but reporting from Josh Yohe of The Athletic indicates Kyle Dubas would actually prefer to send NHL-ready players rather than future assets if possible.
One scenario that has been discussed publicly involves veteran forwards Bryan Rust and Ryan Graves heading to Edmonton. Rust is a 34-year-old winger capable of 25–30 goals, holds no trade protection and carries a $5.125M cap hit for two more seasons. Graves, at $4.5M for two more years, is a contract Pittsburgh has been trying to move. Combined, the two would get the Oilers close to Nurse’s cap number, though the math still wouldn’t be perfectly equal without additional compensation. A prospect or a pick on top of that package seems like the likeliest path to closing the gap.
How the fit makes sense for both teams
Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has a pre-existing relationship with Nurse from their time together with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. For Pittsburgh, Nurse would immediately be their best left-side defenceman, not a difficult bar to clear on a blue line that currently features Graves, Parker Wotherspoon and Samuel Girard. With Sidney Crosby entering one of the final seasons of his career, the Penguins are genuinely trying to win right now and adding a physical, experienced presence on the back end sure helps them do that.
For Edmonton, it’s pretty simple. They want the cap space back, they want something useful in return and they want to move on. Nurse himself has already said the same thing, making his trade request before the Oilers even had a chance to approach him about waiving his clause.
With draft week arriving, both teams talking and the player’s preference already known, the pieces are in place. Whether Bowman is willing to pull the trigger at the pace Pittsburgh wants is the one real remaining question.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
