Jake Walman Has Been Underrated for the Oilers

The veteran defenceman recorded eight points in 15 games played for the Oilers in the regular season. Despite missing a few games towards the end with a minor injury, he was an impact player whenever he was in the lineup. He was also trusted with some big minutes on defence, averaging 21:25 in his 15 regular season matches. That is the second-highest average of his career, mostly due in part to Edmonton’s injury troubles towards the end of the season. And speaking of being an impact player with big minutes, the playoffs have been good to Walman as well.

Walman’s Huge Playoff Impact

The 29-year-old Walman is playing in the postseason for just the second time in his career. The first time he did was back in 2021 with the St. Louis Blues where he appeared in just one game. So, four years later, this is a big step-up for him to be a top option on the blue line of a Cup contender. He is taking full advantage as well.

Walman has appeared in all nine Oilers playoff games so far. He has two points and is a whopping plus-12. He is also averaging just over 20 minutes of ice time in those games. He’s eating up quality minutes on the team’s second pairing and contributing when he needs to, and scored his first career playoff goal in Game 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights on an absolute missile.

The contributions from Walman so far in orange and blue have been exactly what the team needs. He has been able to step up under the bright lights and provide quality play all around. More attention needs to be given to a guy who hasn’t had much said about him. Connor Brown is finally getting his flowers from the media as he is making a big impact at full health. It’s time that Walman gets the same treatment for putting in the effort.

Assuming this solid postseason play continues, a conversation needs to be had in the next year about what the future looks like for Walman in Edmonton.

Going Forward with Edmonton

There is one year left on Walman’s contract at a friendly $3.4 million cap hit. The Oilers will surely want to hold onto him not only for next season, but for seasons to come. As long as he continues to play a strong game that complements his teammates so well, general manager Stan Bowman will surely be eager to get a new deal done next summer. A defenceman on the right side of 30 is also very attractive. The only problem that may arise in this case is the salary cap gymnastics Edmonton will have to go through over the next season or so, with the likes of Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard coming due, among others. It will be interesting to see how they handle it.

Regardless of whether or not Walman sticks around for a long time, his impact right now will not be forgotten by Oilers fans. He is quietly helping to keep the defence corps steady and doing his part to get his team back to where they were last season.