Darnell Nurse could still be an Oiler next season, says insider Bob Stauffer, who floated a scenario where the trade talks stall and the defenseman stays put.
On Oilers Now, Stauffer called a Nurse return "a plausible scenario," even acknowledging that some wouldn't view it as a positive for Edmonton.
There's a catch in the details. Stauffer believes Nurse's trade list is only three teams, all in the Eastern Conference, and that he may have to expand it for any deal to happen.
This is the contract at the center of Edmonton's summer. Nurse is 31 on a $9.25M cap hit, and what happens with him shapes everything else Stan Bowman tries to do.
The cap is the complication. Stauffer noted that if the Oilers are jammed against the hard cap, they might have to retain salary, and at that point the math might not work at all.
Stauffer walked through the whole thing here.
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Why Nurse may have to widen his list of teams
Stauffer pointed west for fits. He named the Blackhawks and Sharks as clubs that make sense, both with cap room and both looking to take a step forward, while Pittsburgh and Philadelphia fit among the Eastern options.
That's the case for growing the list. If three Eastern teams don't produce a match, adding western clubs takes it from three to five and opens the market.
There's a negotiating angle in keeping Nurse, too. A team that can genuinely walk away bargains from strength, and signaling Edmonton isn't desperate makes the price firmer.
Stauffer was careful to leave every branch open. Nurse could be dealt to a listed team, could be dealt only after expanding the list, or could stay. He admitted he doesn't know where Bowman currently sits.
The column also framed Nurse fairly: a reliably solid regular-season defenseman, with the postseason questions that have a big chunk of the fan base wanting a change.
Here's my read: a trade still makes the most sense for both sides, given the cap squeeze and the term left on the deal. But dangling a return is smart, because it tells rival GMs Edmonton can hold the line.
Stauffer called this a storyline for the next eight or nine days. The draft and the days right after should force the issue.
Whether Bowman moves him, widens the list, or keeps him, the Nurse question is finally about to get an answer.
Should the Oilers just keep Darnell Nurse if the price isn't right?
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