A piece of information about Darnell Nurse is making the rounds Sunday, and it matters more than most Oilers fans realize.
According to journalist David Staples, Nurse's signing bonus is not paid on July 1. It is paid in November, December, and February. The date on the calendar today has zero bearing on the money owed.
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This changes the trade conversation completely. Teams that may have been hesitant to wait on a deal, thinking July 1 triggered a bonus obligation for the acquiring club, have no financial reason to stall.
Edmonton GM Stan Bowman can move Nurse today, tomorrow, or next week, and the bonus payment schedule stays the same. There is no clock ticking on a bonus payout linked to this date.
Nurse posted 7 goals and 24 points in 82 games this season at a $9,250,000 cap hit. He went minus-12 over the course of the regular season. In six playoff games against Anaheim, held scoreless with a +4 rating.
The production does not justify the price. That's been the real sticking point all along.
Oilers have no financial excuse left to delay a Darnell Nurse trade
Edmonton finished 41-30-11, fourteenth overall with 93 points. Connor McDavid put up 138 points this season. Leon Draisaitl added 97. Evan Bouchard contributed 95. The offensive firepower is not the problem.
The blue line has been the issue. Nurse at $9,250,000 occupies money that could be reallocated to players actually driving results. Mattias Ekholm is solid at $6,250,000. The rest of the depth behind him is uneven.
Moving Nurse doesn't weaken this team. Keeping him at that cap number while the market is open does.
Bowman now has no excuse. The bonus timing argument is off the table. The trade market is moving fast this weekend, and a deal that made sense yesterday still makes sense today.
The only question left is whether Bowman can find a partner willing to take the cap hit.
Should the Oilers trade Darnell Nurse this offseason regardless of the return?
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