According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse has requested a trade.

From Friedman’s latest column for Sportsnet:

As the Edmonton Oilers navigate hiring Mike Babcock as head coach, they continue on another path: finding a new home for one of their longest-tenured players, alternate captain Darnell Nurse.

Last week, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reported the Oilers would like to trade Nurse, and, according to multiple sources, the defenceman recently went to the organization and said he would like to be traded. He now feels it is time for him to move on.

This is critical, because Nurse has a full no-trade clause until July 1, 2027 — so nothing could happen until then without his approval.

Those same sources indicated Nurse has given a list of 3-5 teams he would consider. He has the right to limit the number of legit destinations, so we’ve got some work to do to figure it out.

But Nurse, seventh in franchise history in games played, has now agreed that a fresh start is the right outcome.

Oilers insider Mark Spector has corroborated Friedman’s report:

Additionally, Oilers insider Ryan Rishaug has confirmed both Friedman’s and Spector’s report.

So… all of this is to say that where there’s smoke, there’s likely fire.

Nurse is a 31 year old signed at $9.25 million per season for the next four seasons… not exactly a hot commodity on the trade market.

Further complicating things is the fact that Nurse has a full no-trade list and is reportedly only interested in going to one of three to five destinations.

This… this is gonna be tough for Oilers GM Stan Bowman.