Oilers bring back Mike Babcock as coach, trade Darnell Nurse to San Jose
Edmonton's off-season shakeup headlines a wave of NHL roster moves detailed in a Canadian Press round-up ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Edmonton Oilers made two notable moves this off-season involving Alberta's NHL franchise. Mike Babcock has returned to the league as the Oilers' head coach, three years after his controversial exit from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023, when he departed before coaching a single game. Babcock previously won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008 and led Canada to Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014; he has now been brought in to help Connor McDavid and the Oilers push further in the playoffs.
Edmonton also dealt defenceman Darnell Nurse, 31, to the San Jose Sharks in a trade that freed up salary cap space for the Oilers. Nurse posted seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points last season and joins a young Sharks core led by Macklin Celebrini as San Jose looks to break through in the Pacific Division.
The Edmonton moves were part of a broader wave of NHL changes this off-season, according to a Canadian Press survey of notable transactions. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky signed with Toronto after backstopping Florida to consecutive Stanley Cups, Brady Tkachuk joined brother Matthew in Florida after requesting a trade from Ottawa, and Bowen Byram signed a six-year, US$75-million extension with Chicago after being traded from Buffalo. Other moves included Brendan Gallagher going to Vancouver, Chris Kreider signing with Montreal, Alex Tuch inking an eight-year deal with Washington, and Darren Raddysh joining Toronto on an eight-year contract.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.