Maple Leafs Should Inquire About Sharks’ Jake Walman 

After starting to breakout with the Detroit Red Wings last season where he had 12 goals and 21 points in 66 games, Walman has already surpassed last season’s point production as he has 29 in 44 games. Considering he’s on the Sharks, that’s great production given where they are in the standings. He carries a $3.4 million contract and is signed for another year. Adding him would require to move money out, but also to possibly pay a little more as he’s signed for another season after this one. 

Walman has fired 112 shots on goal this season. Compared to the Maple Leafs, Morgan Rielly leads the way with 93 and Oliver Ekman-Larsson is second with 88. Walman would instantly be first in that category, as the volume of shots that he can get on net could help the Maple Leafs be a little more of a shooting threat from the blueline. Even in terms of overall production and goal scoring, he would be ranked first on the team in points and tied for first with Rielly in goals with six. 

With the Sharks ranking last in scoring chances for (42.58%) and goals for (41.30%) at 5-on-5, Walman has been productive as his offensive output and impact is something to take note of.

Walman Would Give Defense Balance

While the pairing of Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe has been the team’s best shutdown pairing and most impactful one to date, the addition of Walman would give the team some much needed depth and balance. 

It would also alleviate some of the pressure on Rielly, who has looked more confident and engaging as of late after their western road trip. He recorded a point in all four games and scored against the Vancouver Canucks, his first since Jan. 5^th. He’s got more speed to his game, joining the rush and activating from the point more often and has 10 shots on goal, something that he needs to do more of. He doesn’t have the most powerful shot, but if he’s able to get a good amount of volume on net, it’s a good situation for the Maple Leafs. 

With Walman in the fold, it would give another puck mover at their disposal as he can join the rush, get shots on net and be a threat on the power play. His defensive impact has even shown this season. The question remains, where would he fit into the lineup? 

You can’t break up the Tanev- McCabe pairing as they’ve been the most reliable one. Ekman-Larsson has shown his bright spots at times, though he excelled in a smaller role with the Florida Panthers last year. If you can lower his minutes, he could excel back in that third-pairing role when he won the Stanley Cup. Philippe Myers has looked good with Rielly as of late, but he doesn’t seem like much of as a first pairing kind of player. The third pairing has been less than stellar most nights as Simon Benoit and Connor Timmins has struggled. Together, they have an expected goals for percentage of 41.71 and their SCF% is 42.90.

Walman is listed as a defender that can play both the left and right side, per Cap Wages, which gives the Maple Leafs options. You could pair him with Rielly to jump start the offence or if you want that balance throughout your pairing, you could pair him with Ekman-Larsson as a steady third-pairing that can be a factor on both sides of the puck. 

Walman is definitely an interesting target as he could bring a little more offensive punch from the backend. The Maple Leafs have struggled to produce, but he has shown that he can do that, even on a team that is towards the bottom of the standings. His play alone this season is enticing, and a team like the Maple Leafs could use him to add some more speed and skill to their blueline for a deep run. 

Statistics from Natural Stat Trick and NHL.