- Elliotte Friedman says Darnell Nurse prefers an Eastern Conference move and not a Canadian team
- The Flyers have interest and Nurse would be open to Philadelphia
- Read below for what Edmonton wants in return and which teams are circling
Darnell Nurse wants out of Edmonton, and now we have a better idea of where he wants to go.
Elliotte Friedman said on Friday’s 32 Thoughts that Nurse’s preference is an Eastern Conference team, and almost certainly not a Canadian one. The Flyers, he said, are very much in play.
Nurse asked for a trade earlier this week and gave the Oilers a short list of three to five teams he would waive his full no-move clause to join. We broke that down here. Friedman filled in the shape of the list.
Friedman was asked if the names were Florida, Vegas, and Minnesota again, like last summer.
“I don’t think it’s like that. I think it’s mostly East,” Friedman said, adding that he doesn’t believe a Canadian team is on it.
Philadelphia keeps surfacing. Friedman said the Flyers have interest and that Nurse would be open to it.
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period put the Kings and Penguins in the mix too, and the connections are easy to trace. Ken Holland signed Nurse in Edmonton and now runs Los Angeles. Kyle Dubas dealt with him in junior with the Soo Greyhounds and now runs Pittsburgh.
This is not a salary dump, at least not the way Friedman framed it.
“I think there is interest. I think there is legitimate interest,” Friedman said. “I do think Edmonton’s going to be able to make a hockey deal here.”
The money is the holdup. Nurse carries a $9.25 million cap hit through 2030, and one team told Friedman the whole thing hinges on how much salary Edmonton eats.
There is also a clock. Nurse’s protection drops from a full no-move to a partial one after next season, so this is the last summer he controls the room.
The on-ice case is the lighter part. He played all 82 games this year for 24 points and a minus-12, and Edmonton lost in the first round.
Whoever lands him is paying for the term and the heavy minutes, not the point totals.
