The trade market has been red-hot through the early stages of the offseason. That’s not expected to change anytime soon. Given that he requested a trade from the Edmonton Oilers, defenseman Darnell Nurse is an obvious trade candidate this offseason, and his preference is to play on the East Coast.
According to Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, the Boston Bruins have had trade talks with the Oilers regarding Nurse and are interested in doing a one-for-one swap for defenseman Mason Lohrei. Dupont indicated that Edmonton would be willing to retain some of Nurse’s salary to make it more appealing to the Bruins, and he speculated that the Oilers could bring his salary down to $6.5MM, compared to Lohrei’s $3.2MM.
Even with retention, and the fact that they have included Lohrei’s name in trade talks dating back to last season, this swap wouldn’t make much sense from the Bruins perspective. Nurse and Lohrei are almost identical, with the former standing at 6’4″ and 215 lbs, and the latter standing at 6’5″ and 218 lbs.
The similarities don’t end there. Throughout the last two years, Nurse has scored 12 goals and 57 points in 158 games, while Lohrei has registered 12 goals and 59 points in 150 games. Nurse is more physical and blocks more shots, but he is six years older, and the Bruins will have to determine if that’s worth $3MM more per season.
Additional trade notes:
- Nurse isn’t the only defenseman expecting to be traded this summer. A few days before the draft, defenseman Morgan Rielly gave the Toronto Maple Leafs a shortlist of Western Conference teams he’d be willing to join. General Manager John Chayka poured some cold water on the idea of a trade happening this summer, but did admit that those conversations were happening. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the San Jose Sharks are one of the teams vying for Rielly, and there is growing belief that a trade will happen this offseason.
- Pagnotta also shared that the Utah Mammoth has shown particular interest in Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Although it has already been reported that Marchenko is unlikely to sign an extension with the Blue Jackets, Columbus isn’t keen on trading him this summer, leading many to believe they would need a massive offer for him. Still, Marchenko is only two years away from being an unrestricted free agent, and the Mammoth could be a huge player for his services if Columbus ever actively makes him available.
- Outside of trade rumblings, a trade actually took place today, albeit a minor one. The Carolina Hurricanes announced they’ve acquired the rights to defenseman Kyle Masters from the Anaheim Ducks for the rights to Noah Philp. Philp has already signed with the SHL’s HV71, so he won’t be suiting up for the Ducks this season. Meanwhile, Masters appeared in 10 games for the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder this past season, registering three assists with a -8 rating.
