Nurse trade pressure mounts as Anaheim enters interest
The Oilers defenceman's three-team list may be too restrictive to make a deal happen before July 1, insiders say.
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Pressure is intensifying on Darnell Nurse and the Edmonton Oilers to find a trade match, with multiple NHL sources signalling the defenceman may need to expand his list of preferred destinations.
Anaheim has expressed serious interest in Nurse, who formally requested a trade and submitted a three-team list. Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia are on that list, along with Boston, which was added more recently. But insiders say the small window may not be enough.
"The Oilers are up against it in this deal," TSN's Darren Dreger said. "There's no benefit to Darnell Nurse dragging this through the summer or the Edmonton Oilers dragging this through the summer. The time to get something done is perhaps this weekend or soon after July 1."
Ryan Rishaug, also of TSN, suggested that if a deal that made sense for Edmonton existed, it likely would have already been completed. "When you start hearing the colour guy talking about how maybe they can have a conversation and get him back, it makes you think that if there was a deal there, it'd be done by now," Rishaug said.
The core issue: a $9.25 million cap hit is difficult to move when potential trade partners have limited salary flexibility. Nurse may have to broaden his list if he genuinely wants out before the summer ends.