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Jake Walman, Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Oilers Struck Gold in Jake Walman Trade

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Rupert McDonald | Last updated Jun 9, 2025 8:55 AM ET

Nobody expected Jake Walman to look this good. The Edmonton Oilers went into this year’s trade deadline with a big need to improve their back end. They wound up picking up a player that few had talked about heading into the deadline, as they were able to acquire Walman from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a conditional first-round pick in 2026 along with forward prospect Carl Berglund.

It was a trade that was well received from the vast majority of fans and media across the NHL, though it wasn’t a move that was viewed as enough to push the Oilers over the edge. He was thought of as a player who could help round out the Oilers’ top four, but wasn’t viewed as being nearly as big of an acquisition as Mattias Ekholm two deadlines prior.

Walman Has Been Incredible

While Walman may not be as impactful of a player as Ekholm, he has quickly proven that he is undoubtedly a game-changer for the Oilers. Despite entering the playoffs banged up, he has been absolutely exceptional in all 18 playoff games to date.

Walman had really broken out offensively prior to being traded this season, as he put up 32 points in 50 games with a Sharks team that didn’t score a whole lot of goals. That offence has predictably dropped off in Edmonton given that he doesn’t play on their top power play unit, though he’s still putting up numbers. The 29-year-old registered eight points in 15 regular season games with the Oilers, and has a goal and seven helpers so far in the postseason.

Walman has provided the Oilers with another body on the back end who is far more than just a glass-and-out type player. He, along with Evan Bouchard and the vastly improved John Klingberg all make great first passes out of their zone, which has been extremely beneficial to the Oilers to this point in their run.

While Walman has been a huge addition from a puck-moving perspective, it’s far from the only value he’s bringing. Through his 18 playoff outings, he is averaging north of 20 minutes per game. He was particularly relied upon heavily through the first three rounds, which saw Ekholm miss all but one game due to injury.

“I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Jake,” head coach Kris Knoblauch recently said. “Jake’s game was tremendous. Especially missing Ekholm. We needed guys to step up in Ekholm’s absence, and he was one of those guys.”

Walman has proven to be very reliable in his own end of the ice. He’s a very solid skater, which makes him adept when it comes to shutting down offensive forwards, and very rarely makes any major gaffes despite the big minutes he’s been playing. His strong defensive play has also allowed him to have a role on the penalty kill, where he’s averaged 1:42 per game so far in the playoffs.

Walman Has Term on Bargain Contract

What makes this trade with the Sharks all the better for the Oilers is that Walman won’t be going anywhere this offseason. The 267-game veteran has another year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of just $3.4 million. That is an absolute bargain deal for a defenceman who is playing top-four minutes in the Stanley Cup Final.

That’s also massive for the Oilers, who have Leon Draisaitl’s extension kick in next season and will also need to pay Evan Bouchard a significant amount of money. Having bargain contracts to fit in some of those big deals is huge for them to have success as a team, and Walman will give them just that for the 2025-26 season.

Whether the Oilers are able to get Walman signed to an extension remains to be seen, as they may not be willing to give him the amount of money and term he could likely find on the open market. Nonetheless, they’ll have him for at least one more season. Based on how he’s looked so far, that is a massive win for the front office.