Oilers Could Send Darnell Nurse to the Sharks in Draft Day Deal

The Edmonton Oilers were disappointed at the end of their season, as they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in six games by the Anaheim Ducks.

While fans argued about who to place the blame on, it was clear that the Oilers need to make some changes if they wanted to make another deep run, and one player who could become a casualty is Darnell Nurse.

Nurse’s $9.25 million contract has become an anchor for the Oilers over the past few seasons, and it seems inevitable that they have to clear his contract, or at least some of it, if they want to make additions to improve this offseason.

One team that makes some sense as a potential fit is the San Jose Sharks, who have been loosely connected to Nurse, and could look to take his contract as a way to reach the salary cap floor next season.

In this article, we are going to take a look at a potential trade between the Sharks and Oilers involving Nurse. Keep in mind, this is completely hypothetical. Some rumours are going around that the Sharks could have interest in Nurse, but there are no confirmed reports that the two sides have spoken about a move.

Oilers Trade Nurse, Acquire Orlov From Sharks

The reality is, the Oilers likely won’t be able to clear up Nurse’s entire contract in a trade. However, clearing up some of it and moving on from him for anyone else is the goal for them.

Nurse has a full no-movement clause, which makes it tough for the Oilers to make any type of move, but considering this is his last season before his trade protection moves to a partial no-trade clause, leveraging that to join a team that could be contending shortly could be intriguing.

The Sharks moving on from Dmitry Orlov would help them, but they would also be adding draft picks in this deal, which would benefit them as well. The Oilers also only have Orlov for one more season, and if it doesn’t work out, they can let him walk to free agency.

Orlov does have a 15-team trade list, so he could block the Sharks from trading him to the Oilers, but assuming he’d be open to joining a contender in the Oilers, this deal becomes possible.

A deal looks like the Sharks acquiring Nurse, the Oilers’ 2028 third-round pick, the Oilers’ 2027 fifth-round pick, and the Oilers’ 2026 second-round pick in exchange for Orlov.

This deal gets Nurse off of the Oilers’ books without having to part with a first-round pick, it gets them a new defender who can play big minutes if needed, and it gives them a little more flexibility in free agency to fill other holes they may have.

The Sharks add three draft picks, letting them bolster their prospect pool, and while it might seem like a lot for the Oilers to give up a second-round pick, they have two fifth-round picks in 2027 and two third-round picks in 2028, so moving those picks to convince the Sharks to pull the trigger makes it worth their while.

This move doesn’t free up a ton of cap space for the Oilers, and some fans would prefer his entire $9.25 million contract would come off the books, but that isn’t reality at this point. Orlov is better than Nurse, but he isn’t a significant upgrade.

With that being said, the Oilers getting a little better on their blue line with just three draft picks out the window allows them to spend money to help them push for their first Stanley Cup since 1990, and it proves they’re willing to do what it takes to help win a championship before their window closes.

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