Oilers & Penguins In Advanced Trade Talks
Darnell Nurse to the Pittsburgh Penguins? Sure sounds like it's close.
The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported Pittsburgh’s interest, said the two teams are working on a trade. “Pittsburgh may be No. 1 on Darnell Nurse’s list of five teams he would waive for, and the Penguins and Oilers have been discussing a potential trade,” Pagnotta wrote. “Edmonton GM Stan Bowman is not going to rush into a move, but some believe we’ll see a trade around the NHL Draft.”
There's been multiple reports surfacing stating the Penguins and Edmonton Oilers are working on a trade that sees Nurse head to Pittsburgh. Given his $9.2 million AAV, it's very likely the Oilers will have to retain some money to facilitate the trade. Nurse owns a full no-movement clause and approached GM Stan Bowman a few weeks ago that he'd prefer to be traded, and provided a list of five teams he's open to joining.
For now, it's unknown what the Penguins would be sending back the other way, but Samuel Girard could very well be included, and don't be surprised to see one of Bryan Rust or Rickard Rakell included in the trade. This won't be a one-for-one swap, as it's expected to be a multi-player trade, especially from the Penguins side of things.
The NHL Draft is just one week away and already we're starting to see some big trades, as many insiders are predicting this offseason will be the busiest we've ever seen on the trade front. The rising salary cap and very limited talent on the free-agent pool will influence those kinds of things.
As for the Oilers, moving Nurse could free up some significant cap space, depending on what's coming back the other way of course. Edmonton wants to reshape their blueline, add a winger for Connor McDavid, and shore up their goaltending situation. We'll see how much Bowman is able to accomplish and how well Mike Babcock can influence the team behind the bench.
