EDMONTON – Darnell Nurse is done in the Alberta capital.
Edmonton traded the defenceman to the San Jose Sharks for fellow blueliners Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp as part of a chaotic opening to NHL free agency Wednesday.
Selected seventh overall at the 2013 draft by the Oilers, Nurse has 88 goals and 236 assists for 324 points to go along with 725 penalty minutes in 798 regular-season games.
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The 31-year-old from Hamilton has added 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) in 100 playoff games, including Edmonton’s two trips to the Stanley Cup final in 2024 and 2025.
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Nurse has struggled to live up to the eight-year, US$74-million contract he signed with Edmonton in 2021. He had just seven goals and 24 points in 82 games in 2025-26 for the Oilers, who didn’t retain any salary in the swap.
The Oilers wasted little time spending some of the cap space freed up by the Nurse deal, signing free-agent defenceman Ryan Shea to a five-year, $20-million pact.
Shea, 29, had six goals and 29 assists in 80 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season.
The Sharks also added defenceman Jacob Trouba, forward Mason Marchment and goalie Eric Comrie in free agency.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
