Darnell Nurse and former head coach Kris Knoblauch are now tied to the same Oilers breakup.
The noise in Edmonton is about one detail. Did Nurse ask for the trade, or did the Oilers ask him to waive and help make one happen.
That matters on the surface. It matters a lot less in practice.
Either version points to the same finish. Edmonton and Nurse are moving toward an exit, and that is the only part rival teams really care about now.
Sportsnet reporting around the file already established that Nurse has control through his no-move protection and that the Oilers were trying to work through destinations.
The contract is still the biggest wall in the deal. Nurse has 4 years left, and that number is what shrinks the market before the hockey talk even starts.
That is why the team list matters more than the wording fight. If clubs like Los Angeles, San Jose, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia are really circling, then Edmonton at least has live lanes to work with.
" Conflicting reports in Edmonton. Two seperate #Oilers media state difference of opinion on Darnell Nurse. Mark Spector reports Nurse has asked for a trade. While Jim Matheson states Nurse was asked & waived his NMC.
LA, San Jose, Pittsburgh & Philadelphia linked to a trade. "
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A surprising new twist has emerged in the Darnell Nurse saga and nobody agrees on what's next
Los Angeles is the cleanest West fit. The Kings finished with 90 points, and a team trying to stay hard to play against can talk itself into a veteran left-shot defender with bite.
San Jose is different. The Sharks got to 86 points and already have star young talent, so adding a major blue-line name could be sold as a push to speed up the rise.
Pittsburgh feels believable because the Penguins hit 98 points and still live in a win-now frame. A club built around older stars is always going to check on a player like Nurse if the price gets manageable.
" Darren Dreger: Re Darnell Nurse trade request/Oilers: There will be some level of interest, I did have a couple of general managers...[say] that the interest will come but only if...the Oilers are willing to take back a bad contract - OverDrive (6/11) "
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Philadelphia makes some sense too, even if it is the toughest fit to read from the outside. The Flyers also finished at 98 points, and teams around that tier usually look for one more heavy-minute defenseman if they think the window is opening.
The bigger update from Elliotte Friedman was that Nurse would prefer the Eastern Conference and not another Canadian team. That puts extra weight on Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, while making Los Angeles the more obvious Western exception.
So yes, the reports sound different in Edmonton. One version says Nurse pushed it. Another says the Oilers did.
The ending still looks the same. Darnell Nurse is headed toward a new team, and the real race now is which one of those serious fits can make Edmonton a hockey trade instead of a cap dump.
Which team makes the most sense for Darnell Nurse right now?
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