It seemed like a trade between the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers felt close for Darnell Nurse. The Flyers are on his list of preferred teams, Philadelphia was interested, and the two GMs just had to work out the return.

Suddenly, Nurse talk has gone quiet. Friday came and went with little talk about him being moved and by late Saturday night, it was being reported that Nurse was going to need to expand his trade list.

Why? 

While a trade to the Flyers wasn't done or maybe even near the finish line, there were legs to this deal. The reason things might have stalled is the potential availability of another defenseman, one that is a much higher profile option for the Flyers. 

That player is Zach Werenski. 

According to Pierre LeBrun, "There will be at least a dozen teams who will inquire over time but some early teams to monitor with interest in Zach Werenski: Dallas, Carolina and Philadelphia."

LeBrun also noted, "Nothing imminent, but the Blue Jackets have started listening to teams calling on Zach Werenski, sources confirm. The CBJ are aware that the Norris Trophy winner is unlikely to extend past his deal. No guarantee he’s dealt this summer but Jackets’ best deal could be now versus."

If you're the Flyers, do you wait for Werenski, or spend your much-needed cap space on Nurse? It makes sense the Flyers wouldn't want to spend $9.25 million on Nurse, only to find out that Werenski would have come to Philly, but the Nurse trade created an obstacle. 

It's possible the Flyers circle back here. Much of that will depend on what happens in Columbus, where it now sounds like both Werenski and forward Kirill Marchenko are looking to be moved. 

For Nurse, he'll either have to expand his list to include teams like Anaheim or San Jose, or wrap his head around potentially returning to the Oilers. 

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