It seems like it’s a “when not if” situation regarding a Darnell Nurse trade.

You more than likely know the story by now. Last week, Nurse requested a trade after over a decade in the Edmonton Oilers organization. It’s the last season he has all the leverage, as his full no-move clause becomes a 10-team no-trade list following the 2026-27 season.

Who knows what the eventual trade looks like, but with Nurse’s departure, they’ll be a hole on the Oilers’ defence core. Jake Walman is a good bet to fill in as the second-pair, left-shot defenceman, but the Oilers are losing a hard-hitting defenceman.

Enter free agent Jamie Oleksiak.

Jamie Oleksiak’s fit in the Oilers’ lineup

Oleksiak, 33, ranks as Daily Faceoff’s 37th-best unrestricted free agent in their latest top 50 list, with the publication noting that the team outperforms opposition when the left-shot defenceman is in a depth role. Standing at 6’7”, 252 lbs, he has a long reach and is physical.

In terms of size and physicality, Oleksiak is a great replacement for Nurse. The long-term Oilers defence stands at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, notching 104 penalty minutes and 137 hits in 82 games this season. Oleksiak didn’t sit in the box for nearly as long as Nurse did (36 penalty minutes), but he did finish........

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