Oilers trade Darnell Nurse to the Red Wings for franchise goaltender in latest blockbuster proposal

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported this week that the Oilers are exploring a Nurse trade and that the 31-year-old defenseman is open to leaving for the right situation.

Mark Spector of Sportsnet confirmed that Stan Bowman plans to meet with Nurse in the coming days to discuss a path forward.

A trade concept circulating this weekend links Nurse to the Detroit Red Wings for goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa.

The logic sounds clean on paper. Edmonton sheds a $9.25 million cap hit on a defenseman who put up 24 points and went minus-12 this season.

Detroit gets an experienced blueliner to bolster a roster that limped to a minus-17 goal differential.

The problem is what Edmonton would actually be getting in return. Cossa has played exactly one NHL game in his career.

One game, one win, and nothing else at the highest level.

Cossa was dominant in the AHL this season, posting a .927 save percentage and 1.99 goals-against average in 31 appearances with Grand Rapids.

Those numbers earned him two Goaltender of the Month awards and an All-Star nod.

None of that tells you whether a 23-year-old can handle 60 starts behind Connor McDavid with a conference final on the line.

The Oilers have watched their goaltending buckle under playoff pressure for years.

Replacing that uncertainty with a different flavor of uncertainty does not move the needle.

Cossa needs waivers to return to the AHL next season. That deadline forces Steve Yzerman's hand, but it also raises Cossa's internal value because Detroit knows he would be claimed immediately if exposed.

Giving him away for Nurse's declining contract and $9.25 million cap hit runs counter to everything Yzerman has built.

The Oilers need proven goaltending. Cossa might become that someday. Someday is not a plan when McDavid turns 30 in January.