Well, the Edmonton Oilers were able to find a trade partner for a tough contract, and the team could certainly use his veteran savvy and Stanley Cup Playoff physicality. Today, the Darnell Nurse trade went down, as the San Jose Sharks have sent Shakir Mukhamadullin to Edmonton in exchange for the veteran rearguard. After requesting a trade out of town, this is a great result for both sides. Let’s figure out why.
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The Darnell Nurse Trade to Sharks Ends Era in Edmonton
Darnell Nurse was drafted by the Oilers in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, and he was drafted seventh overall. He’s had a remarkable run with the Oilers, 798 regular season games, exactly 100 career playoff games. But is appears all good things must come to an end, through the era that included the likes of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, and Connor McDavid. His first season in Edmonton, he was even a teammate of 2026 Stanley Cup Champion Taylor Hall. There’s lots of symmetry out there.
Nurse will be an excellent blueliner for San Jose. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. San Jose’s attack, led by Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini, plays a high-octane game that reverberates through the lineup. Having his toughness will be a very valuable asset to mix with Nurse’s ability to understand a high-paced game.
San Jose Parts with Young D-Man Mukhamadullin
Mukhamadullin was drafted 20th overall in the 2020 draft, so has been always a highly-rated prospect. The Ufa, Russia native brings size and talent to the backend. One example was high body of work from the 2023-24 campaign with the San Jose Barracuda. That stretch he had 34 points in 55 games.
This past year, he appeared in 50 of his career 83 NHL games. So far, he has seven goals and 15 assists in his career. He could be ready to takeoff in 2026-27. Edmonton is taking that shot. If he can bring reliable, power to the blueline, it would really help the Oilers playoff probabilities.
This is a solid hockey trade from both sides. We will say Oilers win potential upside, while Sharks win reliability for 2026-27.
Main Photo Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images
