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Oilers Facing Another Darnell Nurse Situation with Jake Walman

Jake Walman, Edmonton Oilers (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

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Oilers Facing Another Darnell Nurse Situation with Jake Walman

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Rupert McDonald | Last updated Nov 10, 2026 8:45 AM ET

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The Edmonton Oilers did some magical work this offseason by moving out Darnell Nurse and his entire $9.25 million cap hit. Regarded as one of the worst contracts in the league, general manager (GM) Stan Bowman was somehow able to trade him with zero retention to the San Jose Sharks for defenceman Shakir Mukhamadullin and prospect Zack Sharp.

The trade was huge for the Oilers, who desperately needed to free up some money and wound up being able to do just that. Nurse’s absence on the back end hasn’t been a negative factor whatsoever, as the Oilers look as good as ever with an 13-3-3 record through their first 19 games. Unfortunately, however, they now have a new contract that is looking as bad, if not worse than the Nurse deal.

Walman a Healthy Scratch Again on Monday

That contract belongs to Jake Walman, who is in the first year of a seven-year contract he signed ahead of the 2025-26 season. The deal sees him make $7 million per year, which is the second highest contract on the Oilers blueline, trailing only Evan Bouchard’s $10.5 million cap hit.

The Oilers gave Walman the seven-year extension after acquiring him at the trade deadline earlier in the year. The 30-year-old fit in seamlessly after first being picked up, playing a big role for an Oilers team that was able to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year. Walman recorded eight points in 15 regular season games following the trade, along with another 10 points in 22 playoff outings.

The contract was still somewhat of a surprise, though his play during his brief time with the Oilers gave fans optimism that he would continue to be a solid top-four option. Fast forward to where we are now, and he’s been anything but.

Walman had a rough 2025-26 season that saw him suit up for just 53 games due to injury. His play regressed in a big way, though fans were willing to give him a pass due to the injuries he battled. There was, however, big pressure on him to have a bounce-back season, and that certainly hasn’t happened.

The left-shot blueliner is set to be a healthy scratch on Monday against the New York Rangers, marking the fifth time he’s sat as a healthy scratch over the past seven games. In other words, this isn’t just a wake-up call anymore. Head coach Mike Babcock clearly believes that he has six other defencemen giving his team a better chance at winning games.

“The bottom line is what do you do without the puck? What chances are you involved in, what do you do when you have it?” Babcock said on Monday morning. “It’s a hard, hard league. Each and every night, we evaluate the whole situation. Unlike you guys who watch it once, we watch it over and over again with five people, so we’ve got a pretty good handle on the whole thing.

“Lots of times, the analytics from the outside aren’t what we have on the inside. So what we do is just try to make the best decisions to help the team be successful. At the same time, we’re trying to build everybody up so they can be the best versions of themselves. Sometimes it’s hard when it’s not going your way.”

Walman’s Contract Turning into a Disaster

Walman was expected to become a reliable top-four defenceman for the Edmonton Oilers after his strong showing following the 2025 trade deadline. Instead, injuries and inconsistent play have quickly turned his $7-million annual contract into a major problem. And while the cap hit isn’t as high as Nurse’s, one could argue that Walman’s deal looks even worse right now given just how poorly he’s been playing.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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