In a bizarre bit of offseason NHL trade rumors, the Philadelphia Flyers may be willing to take on Darnell Nurse and his terrible contract if the Edmonton Oilers can make it reasonable for them. Nurse isn’t the albatross worth targeting, though.
While Nurse, 31, may be an upgrade on defense at a certain price point that is well below his $9.25 million cap hit, there are many hoops to jump through to make such a trade worthwhile for the Flyers, and even the Oilers themselves.
Advertisement
The Oilers are not known for their strong defense or goaltending; Nurse plays a part in the former, and trade acquisition Tristan Jarry was meant to fix the latter.
Jarry, however, never fit well in Edmonton and as a result played the worst hockey of his career.
Should the Oilers be eager to rid themselves of Jarry and his $5.375 million cap hit in addition to Nurse, that’s who the Flyers should really be after in a trade.
Jarry, 31, has two years remaining on his contract at that cap hit, and while he did just have an awful season in Edmonton, he was very solid in a handful of games for the Pittsburgh Penguins before being traded.
Advertisement
The Penguins, who were eliminated at the hands of the Flyers in the Stanley Cup playoffs in six games, owe their playoff appearance to Jarry, who went 9-3-1 in his first 13 starts with the team this season with a 2.66 GAA, .909 save percentage, and a shutout.
Former Flyers Goalie On Wrong Side of NHL History
Former Flyers Goalie On Wrong Side of NHL History Former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart has set an awful NHL record nobody would want to have.
Of course, the 6-foot-4 goaltender is familiar with the Metropolitan Division and life in Pennsylvania, and Jarry also made his NHL debut while Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet was an assistant coach with the Penguins back in 2016-17.
Advertisement
The Flyers will be extending Dan Vladar this summer, but the backup position behind him largely remains a question mark.
Jarry, while unproven in the playoffs, has several years of proof of being a quality NHL goalie on his resume, and at his best, could give the Flyers a formidable 1-2 punch with Vladar.
The price (Sweetener? Future considerations?) could be prohibitive, as with Nurse, but the financial commitment from the Flyers is nearly half while still addressing a position of need.
One could also argue that Jarry, at his best, is better and more impactful than Nurse would be at his best. Even with a rough few years with Edmonton and Pittsburgh, which included a stint in the minors, Jarry still has a career .907 save percentage.
Advertisement
Additionally, unless the Flyers want to invest in Stuart Skinner or Sergei Bobrovsky at a similar price point–Skinner with a term that will almost certainly exceed Jarry’s two years–this may be their best path forward at the goalie position.
If the Flyers want to deal with the Oilers and their host of bad contracts, they should consider all avenues, including Jarry.
Read the full article here