- Elliotte Friedman says the Oilers are telling Darnell Nurse to work with them or watch them move him on their own
- 2026-27 is the last year of Nurse’s full no-move clause before it drops to a 10-team list
- Read below for Friedman’s full breakdown and where the Nurse situation stands
The Oilers and Darnell Nurse are headed for an uncomfortable conversation.
Elliotte Friedman laid out exactly what Edmonton plans to tell its highest-paid defenseman, and it lands somewhere between a pitch and an ultimatum. The gist: help us find a deal, or we’ll handle it ourselves a year from now.
Friedman dug into it on the latest 32 Thoughts, framing the recent trade chatter as a signal aimed at the player.
“Articles like that are a shot across the bow, and basically Nurse is being told, you can work with us this year, or we’ll do it on our own next year,” Friedman said.
He went a step further on what the front office will tell Nurse directly: “This is the last year you have control. Do you want to work with us or not?”
Here’s Friedman breaking it down on 32 Thoughts:
It all comes down to the clause. Nurse holds a full no-move clause through 2026-27, and after that it softens to a 10-team no-trade list. Edmonton’s window to control a clean exit is closing fast, and the front office knows it.
This isn’t new ground. Edmonton already made clear it’s ready and willing to move him. A year ago, the team asked its no-trade players who would waive, and Nurse was reportedly unhappy the conversation leaked.
Money is the sticking point. Nurse has four years left on the eight-year, $74 million extension he signed in 2021, carrying a $9.25 million cap hit. He played all 82 games this season but put up just 7 goals and 17 assists, numbers that haven’t matched the price tag.
Plenty of people around the league see the split coming. Jim Biringer of The Fourth Period thinks a trade can work for Edmonton no matter how it shakes out:
GM Stan Bowman is expected to sit down with Nurse and walk through the options. Play along and Edmonton can shop him this summer for a real return. Dig in and the Oilers wait one more year, then move him once the clause loosens. The message is already out there.
