Darnell Nurse appears headed for a surprising destination

Darnell Nurse has requested a trade out of Edmonton, and Pittsburgh is already in the conversation according to insider David Pagnotta.

Pagnotta reported Sunday that the Oilers and Penguins have already gone back and forth on the framework of a deal, adding that he sees "a pathway" to getting something done.

David Pagnotta: Re Darnell Nurse trade request: I know that Pittsburgh and Edmonton have gone back and forth already on some things, or at least talked about it; I think there's a pathway.

That is not nothing. When two front offices start talking specifics on a guy with a $9.25 million cap hit, the distance between rumour and reality narrows fast.

Nurse is 31 years old. He finished the regular season with 7 goals, 17 assists, and a -12 rating over 82 games. That is not a shutdown number for a defenceman eating that kind of cap space.

The playoffs did not help his case in Edmonton, either. He was held scoreless in 6 games against Anaheim as the Oilers bowed out in the first round.

Kyle Dubas now faces a massive cap gamble in Pittsburgh

The Penguins finished 41-25-16 for 98 points this season. Kyle Dubas is clearly not in a tear-down mode.

But absorbing $9.25 million for a 31-year-old defenceman coming off a -12 season is the kind of move that can quietly wreck a roster's flexibility for years. It is a big-ticket bet on a player whose best hockey may already be behind him.

Think of it like signing a 10-year lease on a downtown office right as the whole company goes hybrid. It might still work. You might also be stuck.

Edmonton GM Stan Bowman, on his end, is trying to shed a massive commitment with years left on the deal while getting back something useful in return.

What Pittsburgh offers matters as much as whether this happens at all. Dubas has draft capital and prospects. The question is how much he is willing to surrender for a player whose value on paper is considerably higher than his recent production.

Nurse was not a factor on the power play this season, finishing with zero power play points. His usage still ran high, but the offensive translation never showed up.

At his cap number, a team acquiring him is paying for the version of Nurse that existed a few years ago, not the one who just posted 24 points in a full season.

That gap between price and current output is exactly why Pagnotta framed this carefully. A pathway exists. The deal is not done.

Pittsburgh has a real decision to make here. And with the Oilers already engaged, this one looks like it could move quickly this offseason.