Darnell Nurse Trade Gets Complicated. The Kings Have a Path Forward.

Darnell Nurse is probably done in Edmonton. That much has been clear for a while now. The Oilers drafted him seventh overall in 2013 and watched him turn into a big, physical minute-eater on the blue line. But a decade later, the marriage appears over.

NHL insider Mark Spector reported earlier this month that the Oilers “would like” to move Nurse. Sources told Spector that general manager Stan Bowman planned to sit down with Nurse to talk exit options. Then Pierre LeBrun confirmed Nurse gave Edmonton a three-team list of preferred destinations: the Penguins, Flyers and Bruins.

Here’s the problem. Nurse still has four years left on the eight-year, $74 million extension he signed back in 2021. That contract carries a $9.25 million cap hit. That is massive. And a lot of teams are going to balk at taking on that number unless the Oilers agree to retain salary.

But there is another potential partner that doesn’t get talked about much. The Los Angeles Kings.

Ken Holland runs the Kings now. He was the Oilers GM who signed Nurse to that deal in the first place. So there’s familiarity there. And the Kings just got swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs. They lost captain Anze Kopitar to retirement. They need pieces. They might need a shakeup.

Eric Stephens of The Athletic argued recently that Nurse could fit under new Kings coach Peter Laviolette. Stephens pointed to Nurse’s skating — the guy moves well for a 6-foot-4, 215-pound defenseman. He also plays mean, piling up over 700 career penalty minutes. And he’s averaged more than 22 minutes per game for most of his career.

The Kings could send back a package that actually helps Edmonton. The Oilers lost scoring depth last summer when guys like Corey Perry, Viktor Arvidsson, Evander Kane and Jeff Skinner left. Trevor Moore would help there. Moore has two years left on a deal under $5 million. He scored 13 goals and added 19 assists this season. That’s not star production, but it’s useful middle-six depth on a reasonable contract.

Goaltending is another issue for Edmonton. The Kings could offer Darcy Kuemper. Kuemper is becoming a bit expendable now that prospect Carter George is pushing for a look and Anton Forsberg played his way into the starter’s role during the playoffs. A later-round draft pick could sweeten the pot on top of that.

One possible framework: The Kings take Nurse at 25 percent salary retained. Edmonton gets Kuemper, Moore and a 2027 fifth-round pick. That clears cap space for the Oilers and gives them immediate help in net and up front. For Los Angeles, they get a veteran defenseman who can log heavy minutes and knows the GM who signed him.

Nothing is done yet. Nurse’s no-trade protection complicates things. And the Kings might want more retention. But if Bowman expands Nurse’s list, this is a deal that makes sense for both sides.