The Darnell Nurse trade everyone's waiting on might finally have a timeline attached, and it hinges on money the Oilers owe him this summer.
Chris Johnston laid out the wrinkle. Nurse has a $6 million bonus due this offseason, so there's a scenario where he isn't moved until after that bonus is paid.
That's the key. A deal may wait until the money is settled, which pushes the resolution later into the summer.
Here's why bonuses matter in these situations. A large payment coming due changes the cash and cap math of any trade, and teams often wait until it clears to keep the books clean.
So the Nurse situation hasn't been stuck for no reason. The timing was always part of it.
Johnston's note finally puts a logic behind the wait.
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The bonus is why the Nurse saga keeps dragging
Step back and the whole picture makes more sense. Nurse carries a $9.25 million cap hit, he's requested a trade, and Stan Bowman has reportedly resisted retaining salary to move him.
The market hasn't exactly been booming, either. Jamey Baskow argued the Flyers should pass, and the realistic return looks closer to a swap than a windfall.
Jim Matheson floated exactly that, a Nurse-for-Joel Edmundson type deal with the Kings, since a $9.25 million defenseman coming off a down year doesn't fetch a haul.
Now layer the bonus on top. Pay it first, then make the move, and the timeline slides past the opening rush of free agency.
Here's my read: the bonus is a logistical reason the trade hasn't happened, not a sign that it won't. Edmonton clearly wants to turn the page.
The signs are everywhere. Jake Walman is lined up for the second-pair role, and clearing Nurse's money is the move that unlocks bigger additions, the kind tied to names like Owen Tippett.
So the resolution the fans want may simply arrive later than hoped. This looks like a when, not an if.
The $6 million bonus just set the clock. Once it's paid, the real countdown on a Nurse trade begins.
Will the Oilers trade Darnell Nurse before training camp?
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