Getty

The Pittsburgh Penguins suspended a recently-acquired defenseman, leading to questions about what happens next.

Right now, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas is in full offseason mode and is working to ensure that his club’s successful season in 2025-26 which resulted in their first playoff berth since 2022 wasn’t a one-off.

And while there are multiple current Penguins players embroiled in trade rumors, including the likes of Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, they’re being linked to one particular high-priced defenseman who is likely on the move from his current location.

Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse, who has a prior connection to Dubas, has been listed as a potential trade target for Pittsburgh by Insider King Jemison of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“The draft is not just about prospects,” he wrote. “It’s also one of the peak times for a big trade — something Dubas hinted the Penguins will look to make.
Highly paid Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse reportedly requested a trade and listed Pittsburgh as one of the teams for which he’d be willing to waive his no-movement clause. He played for Dubas with the Soo Greyhounds.”

Is the prior connection between Dubas and Nurse enough to make him want to swinger the fences by acquiring the high-priced defenseman? The first and most obvious obstacle to such a move is his $9.25 million salary cap hit, which is on the books for several more years.

Could Darnell Nurse Revitalize His Career With The Pittsburgh Penguins?

Meanwhile, as pointed out recently by Shayna Goldman of The Athletic, there are multiple other defenseman across the NHL who revitalized their careers elsewhere, something Nurse could experience himself.

“Separate the player from that $9.25 million contract, and get him out of Edmonton (where defense was a team-wide struggle most of this year), and there could still be something left to extract,” she wrote. “Maybe he becomes the next Brayden McNabb and extends his career. A Brad Stuart path would be pretty neutral, too.”

She continued:

“Past reclamation projects show potential. Fowler and Trouba upped their game with new teams. Rasmus Ristolainen has played some of his best hockey in Philadelphia because the team’s structure insulates him so much, even when he manages the puck poorly. Seth Jones’ game was revitalized in Florida, thanks to their defensive foundation and a role change from a No. 1 to a second-pair player.”

Could Nurse revitalize his career with the Penguins?

Darnell Nurse Has Requested A Trade From The Oilers

Nurse, whom the Oilers selected in the first round (seventh overall) pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, has requested a trade and would like to be moved from the only club he has ever suited up for.

While Nurse and the Oilers advanced to consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025, the play of Nurse came under heavy scrutiny in both runs. This was also the case during Edmonton’s first-round loss this spring to the divisional rival Anaheim Ducks.

So far in his career, Nurse has skated in 798 games, and has 88 goals with 236 assists. He’s also added seven goals with 22 assists in 100 career games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.