Oilers' Darnell Nurse trade has specific Connor McDavid meaning

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The Edmonton Oilers seem quite likely to trade veteran defenseman Darnell Nurse this offseason.

After all, he has requested a trade, so it doesn't make sense for the Oilers to keep him on their roster any longer than they have to.

But this isn't just about Nurse, of course. The future of the Oilers depends on what moves get made this offseason.

That's because Connor McDavid has two years left on his contract. After that, all bets are off.

Edmonton has a couple seasons to figure out how to win with McDavid, who has yet to hoist the Stanley Cup with the Oilers.

"Before the Cup Final had ended, defenseman Darnell Nurse had requested a trade, and figuring out a worthwhile return for the veteran will be critical as the Oilers enter -- potentially -- the penultimate season with Connor McDavid on the roster," ESPN wrote on Monday in a non-bylined article.

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While it will be said a lot, it's also true. Everything Edmonton does in the near-term has to be about winning one with McDavid.

He's widely accepted as being the best hockey player on the planet. In 2023-24 and 2024-25, the Oilers went to the Stanley Cup Final, but they lost in seven games and then in six games, both years to the Florida Panthers.

In 2025-26, they were knocked out in the first round by the Anaheim Ducks. That has led to a change of head coach, with Kris Knoblauch out and the ensuing hire not finalized yet.

The moves are just beginning, though. Nurse will get traded. Maybe a few others will, too.

The Oilers will dig into the free agent pool, and they'll try to get the draft right, too.

All of it comes back to McDavid. If they win a Cup, everything that has come before will have been worth it.

If they don't, it will feel a lot like a failure.