NHL Rumors: Nurse to Bruins, Byram Trade, Kane’s Future, Maple Leafs Passed on Cassidy

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Edmonton Oilers are exploring trade options for Darnell Nurse, the Buffalo Sabres could be moving Bowen Byram, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a surprising coaching decision, and Patrick Kane’s future with the Detroit Red Wings remains up in the air.

Oilers Exploring Market for Darnell Nurse

The Edmonton Oilers continue to survey the market for veteran defenseman Darnell Nurse, with several teams emerging as potential landing spots. Clubs like Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and San Jose have drawn the most attention as destinations capable of absorbing some or all of Nurse’s $9.25 million cap hit. However, reports remain that he’d prefer to go out east.

A recent suggestion ties the Boston Bruins to Nurse, with a potential swap involving Mason Lohrei. Ryan Dixon of Sportsnet proposed the idea in a recent article, arguing that it would give Edmonton a younger, cost-controlled defenseman while Boston adds size and experience to its blue line. Nurse, 31, has four years remaining on his deal, which complicates any move unless salary retention is involved.

Meanwhile, Boston is also weighing decisions on forward Viktor Arvidsson. The 33-year-old is coming off a strong season, and discussions between his agent and Bruins management are ongoing as free agency approaches.

Sabres Listening on Bowen Byram

Trade chatter has surfaced again around Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram. According to a report by Darren Dreger, multiple teams have expressed interest in acquiring the 24-year-old, who has one year remaining on his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Byram’s agent has a history of guiding players to the open market, which may be influencing Buffalo’s willingness to explore trade options now rather than risk losing him for nothing later. At the same time, the Sabres had been working toward a contract extension and might have traded Michael Kesselring before realizing they could be forced into moving two pieces off their blue line.

This isn’t the first time Byram’s name has surfaced in rumors. Several teams—including St. Louis, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Calgary, Vancouver, Columbus, and Vegas—have been linked to him in the past.

Maple Leafs’ Curious Coaching Decision

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a puzzling decision during their recent coaching search. The organization was reportedly the only team granted permission to speak with Bruce Cassidy, yet chose not to proceed with an interview.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic writes:

“Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon revealed to local media on Wednesday that the Golden Knights gave permission to Cassidy to speak with one team midway through the playoffs. I think that team was Toronto, but I know for a fact that the Maple Leafs and Cassidy never did speak, so they must have chosen not to have the conversation for some reason.”

source – ‘NHL rumblings: Checking in on the market for scorers, plus latest on Bobrovsky, Cassidy, more’ – Pierre LeBrun – The Athletic – 06-18-2026

Despite conducting an extensive search that included more than 20 candidates, Toronto opted not to engage with one of the most accomplished available coaches. Instead, the Maple Leafs moved forward with hiring Jim Hiller.

Why the team declined the opportunity remains unclear. This feels like a missed opportunity to gather insight from a proven bench boss. It raises questions about how exhaustive the search truly was.

Patrick Kane Weighing His Next Move

LeBrun is also reporting that veteran forward Patrick Kane is still deciding where he’ll play next season. The 37-year-old remains productive, recording 57 points in 67 games this past year, and has made it clear he intends to continue his career.

The Detroit Red Wings are interested in bringing Kane back and have communicated that to his camp. However, Kane has not yet committed and may choose to test the open market. Given what’s going on in Detroit with Dylan Larkin, perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise.