Darnell Nurse Trade: Nikita Zadorov Told the Oilers “No”

Marc-Olivier Cook
Darnell Nurse Trade: Nikita Zadorov Told the Oilers “No”
Credit: China Wong/NHLI via Getty Images

On July 1, Darnell Nurse was traded to the San Jose Sharks.

But if that happened, it might be thanks to Nikita Zadorov.

Why do I say that?

Because, in fact, there's a rumor going around that the Oilers and the Bruins were close to a deal. Nurse would have headed to Boston, and Zadorov would have ended up in Edmonton… with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

The catch?

According to Nick Kypreos (Real Kyper & Bourne), it was Zadorov who reportedly blocked the trade. Keep in mind that the Bruins' giant defenseman has a no-trade clause in his contract…

You have to admit, that's pretty… unusual.

After all, not every player in the National Hockey League gets the chance to play alongside Connor McDavid.

Not every NHL player gets the chance to play alongside one of the best players in history… and that tells us one thing: Zadorov must be really, really happy in Boston right now.

Even though the Bruins surely have a slimmer chance of winning the Stanley Cup than the Oilers in the near future… 

I'm mostly surprised, personally, that the Bruins were willing to give up so much for Nurse.

We know he's not the best offensive defenseman in the NHL, and we know his contract ($9.25 million per year through 2030) is pretty hefty for a player of that caliber.

But anyway. I guess the Bruins really liked the guy who's now part of the Sharks' organization…


Quick Thoughts

– Oh, really?

– Wow.

– And rightly so.

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