The kind of notion that seems more logical in theory than it would in reality is the trade concept floating around this weekend that connects Darnell Nurse to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa.
Nurse’s numbers don’t make his case any better as he approaches the offseason.
The 31-year-old defenseman concluded the season with 24 points in 82 games, a -12 rating, and no power play goals on a cap hit of $9.25 million.
The real issue for Edmonton GM Stan Bowman is that last section.
Nurse is the 10th-highest-paid defense in the league at $9.25 million. The Oilers are aware that he didn’t live up to the hype this season.
The picture wasn’t improved by the playoffs. Nurse ended the season with a +4 mark, but he didn’t contribute anything offensively in the six playoff games he played without scoring a point, when the Oilers needed their expensive blue line to step up.
Evan Bouchard had 95 points this season at $10.5 million and 7 points in those six postseason games. In that locker room, whether or not anyone mentions it aloud, that is the standard that Nurse is being assessed against.
In exchange for this deal, what Detroit would actually surrender
On the surface, Detroit’s desire for a physical, proven NHL defenseman makes some sense.
With a -17 goal differential for the season, the Red Wings concluded 41-31-10, going 2-6-2 in their final 10 games.
However, Yzerman’s long-term reconstruction plan would be given to a player whose best hockey might be behind him by trading away a goaltending prospect like Cossa. In any front office, that is a difficult sell.
This season, John Gibson played in 57 games for Detroit and recorded a .902 save percentage. He is 32 years old and is now employed under a short-term, not long-term, contract.
Going ahead, the Red Wings urgently need a goalie. Cossa is the answer to that issue, not a chip that is swapped for an expensive defenseman who had a -12 during the regular season.
With 60 points and a +15 rating this year, Moritz Seider ended the season. Detroit’s defensive core is younger and cheaper than what Nurse represents, and that gap in philosophy is exactly why Steve Yzerman has built things the way he has.
The real question for Edmonton is simpler: would moving Nurse’s $9.25 million cap number open enough space to upgrade somewhere that actually matters?
That tension is not going anywhere this summer.
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