3 targets Oilers could pursue to replace Darnell Nurse

Darnell Nurse has been a key player for the Edmonton Oilers for years, but he could be moved.

Nurse is entering his second season of an eight-year deal signed in August 2021. But, with the Oilers needing cap space and Nurse making $9.25 million per year, he could be on the trade block.

Yet, as of right now, there is no word on if Nurse will actually be moved. But, if he is, here are three players Edmonton could look to replace him.

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3. Erik Karlsson, San Jose Shakrs

There has been buzz that the Edmonton Oilers are interested in trading for Erik Karlsson.

Karlsson is making $11.5 million, but the San Jose Sharks will likely eat some of that, so he could end up making less than Nurse. The Swede is more of an offensive threat while both Karlsson and Nurse aren't the best defenders.

The Oilers would likely swap Nurse for Karlsson, but whether or not San Jose would be interested in Nurse is uncertain. With that, Edmonton may need to move Nurse somewhere else before getting Karlsson.

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2. Brett Pesce, Carolina Hurricanes

Brett Pesce could be moved by Carolina

Brett Pesce has been on the trade block for quite some time as the Carolina Hurricanes have a plethora of defensemen.

Currently, Carolina's six defensemen are Brent Burns, Jacob Slavin, Pesce, Dmitry Orlov, Brady Skjei, and Tony DeAngelo. With that, there have been some rumors that Pesce could be moved to add some scoring offense to the roster.

Edmonton also needs help on the right side of its defensive core which features Evan Bouchard, Cody Ceci, and Vincent Desharnais. With that, Pesce could immediately help Edmonton's D-Core and could be a nice replacement for Nurse to balance their D-Core.

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1. Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues

Colton Parayko, like Brett Pesce has been on the trade block for quite some time. On the paper, Parayko makes a lot of sense for Edmonton.

Parayko is making only $6.5 million which would be a big cap relief for Edmonton if they do get rid of Nurse. Parayko is also from Alberta so getting to play for Edmonton would be nice for Parayko, who is a better defender than Nurse.

The Oilers need to work on stopping the puck and getting out of their zone and Parayko would do just that for them.