Should the Oilers trade Darnell Nurse?
With the NHL regular season just a few weeks away, Oilers Insider takes an in depth look at some of the major objectives for the 2024-25 season.
The Oilers face some uncertainties heading into next season. It was recently announced that forward Evander Kane will likely be out until Christmas due to surgical intervention to fix a sports hernia. With that in mind, IR or LTIR are the likely outcomes, changing the team dynamic for head coach Chris Knoblauch.
According to Oil on Whyte, One scenario suggests that If Evan Kane does indeed go on LITR, and the cap space is available to GM Stan Bowman, he could try to make a move supposedly with a defenseman. Particularly, Brett Kulak or Darnell Nurse.
It was also reported that Darnell Nurse has been sidelined through training camp due to an injury suffered in the 2024 playoffs. Although Nurse is stated to be good to go for the season opener, lingering injuries could be a major problem for the team if not rehabilitated properly.
Nurse has struggled with consistency over the years. Although he shows flashes of brilliance, offloading his monstrous contract could by the right decisions for GM Stan Bowman.
According to Puckpedia, Darnell Nurse is currently signed to a 8-year contract with a cap hit of $9,250,000 per season. His contract expires at the end of the 2029-30 season, when Nurse is 35 years old.
Offloading his contract while simultaneously bringing high end talent to replace him might be the best strategy to consider moving forward.
source: Oil on Whyte
The Edmonton Oilers coaching strategy heading into the upcoming season
| POLL | ||
Should the Oilers trade Darnell Nurse? | ||
| Yes | 138 | 80.2 % |
| No | 34 | 19.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
