Oilers rumors: $9.25 million AAV mainstay lands high on NHL insider’s trade board

The pressure on the Edmonton Oilers’ organization is very high as the team contemplates the moves that must be made in the offseason. After reaching the Stanley Cup Final each of the last two seasons, they were eliminated in the first round this year by the upstart Anaheim Ducks.

Considering that superstar Connor McDavid has put pressure on the organization to increase the team’s competitive level, general manager Stan Bowman can’t stand pat with his roster. Despite the presence of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers appear to be going in reverse based on their performance during the season and the playoffs.

The Oilers don’t have a lot of maneuverability based on their position with regards to the salary cap. One of the players they may want to move is defenseman Darnell Nurse, who has been one of the team’s mainstays for 12 years. He is a big man who can block shots, play a physical game and also get involved on the offensive end. Nurse scored seven goals and 24 assists last season.

However, he is not a star even though he is paid $9.25 million per year. He is under contract through the 2029-30 season.

If the Oilers could move Nurse in a trade, they could get his salary off the books. However, Nurse has a no-movement clause in his contract and that makes trading him quite a challenging task. The Oilers would not only have to convince him to waive that clause, but they would also have to work with him and figure out the best place for Nurse to begin the next phase of his career.

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