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The Edmonton Oilers are expected to offload veteran defenseman Darnell Nurse in the coming weeks. Despite having four more years remaining on his $9.25 million AAV deal, Nurse is looking to leave Edmonton. The star blueliner, however, does have some power in the situation. Due to a no-move clause in his contract, he can veto certain teams.
Although Nurse has underperformed in recent seasons, he is garnering plenty of interest around the NHL. According to Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer, one of these teams is the Philadelphia Flyers. The reporter also points out that Nurse is the nephew of former Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback Donovan McNabb.
Interestingly enough, the Flyers have a defenseman who could soon be pursued by the Oilers. The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell reports that Philadelphia’s Nick Seeler is a trade target for Edmonton. Mitchell claims that the fellow left-handed blueliner could be a “reasonable replacement for Nurse” this summer. The reporter specifically points to Seeler’s solid play against top players on opposing teams during the 2025-26 season.
A deal between the two teams, however, likely hinges on finances. According to Puckpedia.com, the Flyers have over $32 million in projected cap space. As a result, they could afford to take on Nurse’s significant salary. Nevertheless, Philadelphia would likely prefer Edmonton to retain a piece of the star’s contract. It remains to be seen just how much money the Oilers are willing to retain, though.
GettyPhiladelphia Flyers blueliner Nick Seeler would be an economical choice to replace Darnell Nurse.
Edmonton Oilers fans may feel as if Seeler would be an underwhelming replacement for Nurse. After all, the veteran blueliner has never recorded more than 20 points in an NHL season. However, Seeler would seemingly help solidify a porous Oilers defense. Edmonton allowed 265 goals during the regular season this past year. Only seven NHL teams gave up more goals on the campaign.
Seeler recorded an impressive 126 hits and 149 blocks with the Flyers in 2025-26. These statistics rank first and second among Philadelphia defensemen this past year. His Corsi For % and Fenwick For % at even strength were also higher than Nurse’s numbers as well. On top of these underlying stats, Seeler’s contract would suit the Oilers.
The veteran defenseman has two more years remaining on his $2.7 million AAV deal. This is obviously just a fraction of Nurse’s massive salary. Assuming Edmonton can make the swap, it would give the club extra financial freedom to make other offseason moves. At the moment, the Oilers have just over $11 million in cap space, with multiple holes to fill.
Defense is certainly an area of concern for Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman is now reporting that the club is extending fellow blueliner Connor Murphy on a long-term deal worth around $4 million annually. The former Blackhawk was earning a similar salary in his previous deal.
Murphy, however, is a right-handed blueliner and should not affect Edmonton’s potential pursuit of the lefty Seeler. If acquired, the current Flyer would likely line up behind Mattias Ekholm on Edmonton’s left side of defense.
Christopher Moore Christopher Moore has been a Heavy.com contributor since 2025. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he has published thousands of articles reporting on multiple professional sports. He was previously a sports writer for World Soccer Talk, the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and the Maryland Sports Blog. More about Christopher Moore
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