The Morgan Rielly situation in Toronto and the Darnell Nurse situation in Edmonton are eerily similar. A longtime Maple Leafs defenseman and a longtime Oilers defenseman, both of whom have had their struggles in recent years and, as a result, could soon be on the move—though they hold all the cards on if and where.
Their respective full no-movement clauses complicate everything, not to mention Rielly’s $7.5 million and Nurse’s $9.25 million average annual salary. For those reasons, the number of suitors has been quite limited for either player, though one team that has resurfaced—thanks to insider David Pagnotta—as a potential offseason landing spot is the San Jose Sharks.
“I could see them looking at two pieces that I wouldn’t be surprised their teams reach out to San Jose about, and we’ve heard their names pop up going into the deadline. Morgan Rielly in Toronto, Darnell Nurse in Edmonton, among others. But I wouldn’t be surprised if their teams make those inquiries to San Jose because the Sharks are looking to bring in a veteran piece on that back end,”
The 32-year-old Rielly is in year four of the eight-year, $60 million extension he signed with the Maple Leafs in 2021. Meanwhile, Nurse, 31, is in year four of the eight-year, $74 million extension he inked with the Oilers that same year.
Morgan Rielly or Darnell Nurse to San Jose?
San Jose makes a ton of sense for Rielly or Nurse, given they’re slated to have close to $44 million in cap space this summer, with only two defensemen currently under contract beyond 2025-26 (Dmitry Orlov and Sam Dickinson).
Whether either player would be willing to waive their no-movement clause to join the Sharks remains the biggest question—and potential obstacle. That said, heading to Northern California to play alongside Macklin Celebrini on a rising San Jose team, with far less media attention and pressure, could be appealing to two of the more scrutinized players in hockey in recent years.
Nonetheless, it will be fascinating to see what the future holds for both of these longstanding fixtures on the Maple Leafs and Oilers, and the Sharks are expected to be squarely in the middle of it.
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