Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse recently requested a trade, but the Bruins should avoid targeting him.
The NHL trade market has gotten more interesting.
On Thursday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse has requested a trade and agrees with the Pacific Division club that a change of scenery is needed. This news is not necessarily surprising, as Nurse has been the subject of trade rumors for a while and would benefit from a fresh start.
While the Boston Bruins are in need of a top-four defenseman, Nurse would not be a good trade fit for the Black and Gold.
The Bruins' top need when it comes to their blueline is a top-four right-shot defenseman. Nurse, who is a left-shot defenseman, does not fit that description. The Bruins would be wiser to try to land a right-shot defenseman on the trade market or through free agency.
Nurse's contract also is a big reason why the Bruins should not consider pursuing him. The 31-year-old defenseman has an expensive $9.25 million cap hit until the end of the 2029-30 season. With this, there would be a lot of risk in acquiring him, and it's just not worth it with the Bruins having other needs to address.
With Nurse being a solid second-pairing defenseman who throws the body and works on the penalty kill, he has the potential to be a solid addition to another club's roster. However, with the Bruins needing a right-shot defenseman and first-line center, Nurse is simply not a player who Boston should be looking to add this off-season.