Mike Babcock makes his feelings clear on the Oilers' Darnell Nurse trade
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Oilers coach Mike Babcock likes the Darnell Nurse deal with San Jose. The cap savings, the return and the questions left on Edmonton's blue line all matter.
Edmonton Oilers head coach Mike Babcock has weighed in on the Darnell Nurse trade, and he likes what general manager Stan Bowman pulled off.
The endorsement lands at a time when the club is still reshaping its defence.
"Pretty good deal by Stan."
- Mike Babcock
- Mike Babcock
What Edmonton got back
Bowman sent Nurse to the San Jose Sharks for defenceman Shakir Mukhamadullin and additional younger pieces, with no salary retained.
That detail carries the most weight.
Nurse owned a $9.25 million cap hit with four seasons left on the eight-year, $74 million extension he signed in 2021, and every dollar left Edmonton's books.
The deal also had to work around Nurse's full no-movement clause.
He reportedly asked out and supplied a short list of acceptable destinations.
When that list produced nothing, he widened it, and San Jose emerged.
A player holding that much control usually leaves a GM with little leverage, so moving the entire contract and getting assets back reads as a strong result.
Why the coach's opinion counts
Babcock arrived as the 19th head coach in franchise history after Kris Knoblauch was fired.
A new coach backing his GM's biggest move in public suggests both men are pulling in the same direction, which was no given after such an abrupt change behind the bench.
The practical side is where this gets interesting.
The savings give Bowman room to build a blue line around Connor Murphy, who signed a five-year extension, plus whatever additions follow.
Nurse ate big minutes and brought size, and someone has to absorb that workload.
Mukhamadullin is a younger piece, so Babcock will have to find the right pairings and usage to keep the back end steady.
Captain Connor McDavid said he was disappointed to lose Nurse but spoke positively about the new additions.
That blend of regret and optimism fits a roster in transition.
Cap flexibility is only a tool. What Edmonton builds with it will decide whether Babcock's praise ages well.
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