The Edmonton Oilers traded defenseman Darnell Nurse to the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, keeping the veteran in the Western Conference. The Oilers acquired defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp in the deal.
Nurse, 31, is entering the fifth year of an eight-year contract that pays him $9.25 million annually. The former first-round pick and the Oilers had been working together on finding him a new team after both sides agreed it was time for a change.
Nurse had initially preferred going to the East Coast and told Edmonton his preference was the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers or Pittsburgh Penguins, sources said. However, when none of those trades materialized, Nurse expanded his list on Wednesday to include San Jose.
The Sharks have been one of the busiest teams in free agency, signing forward Mason Marchment and defenseman Jacob Trouba to big deals ahead of the Nurse trade. San Jose is completely revamping its blue line after also acquiring Michael Kesselring and signing him to a new contract.
Nurse played in all 82 games for the Oilers last season, scoring seven goals and 24 points while averaging 20:58 in ice time a night. The No. 7 draft pick of the Oilers in 2013, Nurse played in 798 games over 12 seasons for Edmonton. He was part of the Oilers' leadership group and an instrumental member of the teams that went to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025.
Also on Wednesday, the Oilers signed free agent defenseman Ryan Shea to a five-year contract with an average annual value of $4 million. They also added to their depth in net, acquiring goaltender Devon Levi and a seventh-round selection in the 2028 draft from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a third-round pick in the same year.