Insider reveals why the Detroit Red Wings blundered and traded away top defenseman Jake Walman

Jake Walman was dealt by the Detroit Red Wings in the summer, and now a top insider has suggested something was going on behind the scenes to force a trade.

The past few months have meant many changes for Jake Walman, who was signed to an extension by the Detroit Red Wings before being traded away as a salary-cap dump to the San Jose Sharks.

Then, the Sharks would flip him to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a conditional first-round pick, and unsurprisingly, that saw plenty of backlash for Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman, who completely fumbled the handling of a very valuable asset.

While few details were given, reporter Andy Strickland has suggested that something was going on behind the scenes that made Detroit want to make a deal.

"They didn't just pay San Jose a second-round pick to get rid of Jake Walman, who they just committed a contract extension to, and they're paying him $3.4 million. So something, right? There was something going on, I don't know exactly what it is. I heard there was something. I don't believe his relationship with the coaching staff was the best, and there was some miscommunication on some stuff. ... I reached out to him after the trade, and I talked to him when he was in town with San Jose ... There was stuff going on."