Oilers Considering 2 Final Trade Offers for Darnell Nurse
David Pagnotta: It sounds like it's Philadelphia and Anaheim that are battling this one out to try to get Darnell Nurse - Hello Hockey (6/27)
The Ducks will have to pay an 'extra tax' for being a Western Conference club, and a rival of the Oilers. The Ducks are losing John Carlson, Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas in free agency, so adding Nurse is certainly near the top of their priority list.
The Flyers, on the other hand, are in the market for a top-pair defenceman, and Nurse has ties to the Philly area, and is open to moving much closer to home. It's likely going to take a mid-level draft pick and top prospect to get the Oilers to budge, who would love to free up some significant cap space in this deal.
The 31-year-old Nurse has four seasons left on his contract at $9.2 million AAV, and owns his current no-movement clause until July 2027, when it changes to a 10-team trade list. Nurse prefers to be moved as soon as possible, and so does Bowman, as he'd like to free up some cap space and make a run at signing a defenceman or two July 1.
Look for Nurse to be moved in the coming days, and don't be surprised at all if it's one of the Flyers or Ducks who will the sweepstakes.
