Oilers could find market advantage trading Darnell Nurse this summer
Free agent market surge in quality defencemen may help Edmonton recoup value.
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The same NHL free agent market that hammered the Edmonton Oilers when it came to signing Darnell Nurse in 2021 could now work in the team's favour when trading him.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli told Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now that teams are actively looking to improve their defence but are cautious about losing depth from their rosters. Nurse, the Oilers have signalled, is available.
"That's one situation for a team that's out there that could improve with Darnell Nurse without really having to give up a whole heck of a lot," Seravalli said.
The salary cap has shot up to $104 million, giving most teams more room to spend. At the same time, there are only a handful of top-four defencemen available as unrestricted free agents — Darren Raddysh, John Carlson, Rasmus Andersson, and maybe Brent Burns, Ryan Shea, Brett Kulak, and Jacob Trouba.
The scarcity in the defenceman market is a seller's advantage for Edmonton. In summer 2021, the Chicago Blackhawks' $9.5 million deal for Seth Jones drove up Nurse's contract to $9.25 million over eight years. Now, with few quality defencemen on the market and teams flush with cap space, Edmonton has leverage.
Nurse has played like a good second-pairing defenceman in the regular season for years, but has struggled in the playoffs. On the trade market, Edmonton has fewer options than the open market would give Nurse, but all the team needs is two or three teams keenly interested to create a solid market.
The Oilers may need to rely on internal candidates on the bottom pairing this year, which is good news for young players like Atro Leppanen, Damien Carfagna, and Alec Regula.