Darnell Nurse Trade: Facing Oilers Will Be ‘Weird’

Darnell Nurse is about to play against the only NHL team he has ever known, and he already knows how it will feel.

“It’s going to be weird,” Nurse said after Friday’s practice in San Jose. The Sharks defenseman faces the Oilers on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET, his first game against Edmonton since the July 1 trade that sent him to the Sharks.

Nurse was asked about the emotions of facing his old team. He said he is leaning on what he picked up playing in a market like Edmonton.

“One of the best things I ever learned from playing in a market like that is to be mentally tough, to just focus on what you can control and let the rest take care of itself,” Nurse said. “You wear the logo for so long, you just look at it.”

He also has plans for the night before. Nurse said he would catch up with his old teammates, who were practicing in San Jose on Friday too.

“Get one of them to buy me dinner, and then when the game starts tomorrow, all bets are off,” Nurse said.

Nurse played 798 games for the Oilers after they drafted him seventh overall in 2013. He had 324 points and helped Edmonton reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025. San Jose sent defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin and prospect Zachary Sharp to Edmonton in the deal.

The feeling goes both ways. Zach Hyman was asked about Nurse after Oilers practice and had nothing but good things to say. Watch his answer:

Nurse comes in with some momentum. He scored 1:03 into overtime Thursday to give the Sharks a 3-2 win at the Blues, a goal Ivar Stenberg set up. Check out the play:

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky was asked about Nurse and his new defenseman. He called him “a great human being first and foremost” and said he plays with some snarl.

San Jose is 3-1-0 and Edmonton is 3-0-1 heading into the game. Macklin Celebrini remains a game-time decision for the Sharks.

Nurse has one goal in four games with his new team. Saturday gives him a chance to add another against the one he left.