Over the past year there has been a lot of talk surrounding the Edmonton Oilers blueline. From Paul Coffey taking a role behind the bench, to Evan Bouchard being snubbed by team Canada, to more recent developments like the Darnell Nurse trade and the acquisitions of Ryan Shea and Shakir Mukhamadullin, there has been a lot to talk about.
Amidst it all there has been an under discussed issue as well, the play of Jake Walman. Beginning the first year of his seven-year contract, Walman will need to be much better this season to justify his $7M cap hit.
Let’s take a closer look at what to expect from Walman this coming season, and if he can bounce back.
The next one to put the blame on
It is curious to contrast the way that Walman and Nurse have been discussed. Nurse was long maligned thanks to an overinflated cap hit. From his bridge contracts to the stagnation of the flat cap, there was rightly a lot of scrutiny on Nurse. The noise only grew louder last season, as many fans were growing more upset with Nurse’s performance as well. Even Nurse’s biggest supporters can admit how much his contract coming off of the books alters the state of the Oilers cap situation.
Now, with the salary cap back to a steep rise, the dynamic is changed. Walman costs just over $2M less than Nurse as well. Still, it is worth noting that Walman was still outplayed by Nurse last season. The Oilers attempted to find a way to push Walman ahead of Nurse on the depth chart, but the arrangement never stuck.
This was especially noticeable when Connor Murphy was added at the trade deadline. The Oilers tried to set up Walman and Murphy, though the duo struggled to find much effectiveness. Instead it was Nurse who provided the stronger results alongside Murphy.
Though he deserved some criticism, Nurse maintained a huge role on the Oilers blueline throughout his Oilers tenure. The same cannot be said for Walman, who has remained stuck as a third pairing option. Walman was sheltered in terms of icetime and deployment, yet still struggled to drive play. Now in his thirties, Walman is without a role on the top power play, and has suffered injuries throughout his career.
While his offensive capabilities are beyond Nurse’s, Walman’s availability issues have limited his production. So far, Nurse has bested Walman’s career high in points twice. Walman has been unable to find a long term home in the NHL, bouncing from team to team. He has only held a top-four role sporadically, often on teams with overmatched bluelines.
Ultimately, Nurse was moved without the Oilers having to retain salary or adding a trade sweetener. At the end of the day, the Oilers might not have the same outcome with Walman, who is now signed for longer than Nurse has left on his deal. As much as there was a lot of consternation about Nurse’s contract, Walman’s deal could end up being more painful to the Oilers if he cannot bounce back.
Optimism for Walman
There are some positives to take from the situation. Perhaps most importantly, Walman played well as an Oiler after being acquired at the 2024–25 trade deadline. His playoff production has been solid over his two runs with the team. There is, at least, some proof of concept that Walman can be a positive influence on this blueline.
There is some hope that last season was a bit of an outlier as well. Walman started the season injured, and missed even more time in the first half of the season. Some might wonder if the injury lingered, or if Walman was ever able to get into top form after the tough first half of the year.
Perhaps better health will allow for better performance, especially when it comes to driving play. The best case scenario might be that Walman is able to find some chemistry with Murphy and hold down a spot as a true top-four option. If new coach Mike Babcock goes with a more balanced approach to the power play, Walman might even be able to beat his career high point total.
Even without these upsides, Walman could be a great help to the Oilers by controlling play in the minutes he does get. He was deployed with offensive usage last season, and could end up in a similar boat this time around. Needless to say expectations will be high if Walman is limited to a sheltered third pairing role with secondary power play usage. At his cap hit, he will need to help the Oilers dominate his minutes in such a small role.
History of inconsistency
Part of the strange thing about Walman’s career is that there has not been enough consistency for him to really assert himself in one way or another. A late bloomer, Walman posted really strong results early in his career with the St. Louis Blues. On a third pairing with the defensively minded Robert Bortuzzo, Walman produced really strong possession and expected goals rates.
His stock might have been at an all time high, leaving the Blues to take a top pairing role with the Detroit Red Wings. Walman was effective on the top pairing alongside Moritz Seider. Again, Walman was best with a more physical and defensively inclined partner, acting as the primary puck mover. While the duo and the Wings as a whole were overmatched, Walman seemed to be a reason for optimism in his first season with the Wings. He would not hold onto the role, however, as he would fall down the depth chart after that.
It raised some eyebrows when Walman was shipped off from the Wings to the San Jose Sharks. Walman had become something of an analytical darling, or at least a player worth betting on for the low cost. The Sharks, desperate for any help on the blueline, received Walman and a second-round pick for future considerations.
Walman was never able to produce strong results with the Sharks. Granted, the star of the team and the blueline might have removed any chance of that. There was still enough to like for the Oilers to take a swing, paying a first-round pick to the Sharks for Walman. His first half season with the Oilers was promising, so much that the team committed a big, long contract to him.
Walman will need to step up
All this is to say that Walman has had ups and downs throughout his career. This might bode well for a bounce back, but it seems optimistic to expect Walman to reach new heights. He has not been a consistent top-four defenceman, he has not controlled possession, and he has not been an elite point producer.
He has been able to catch fire. His aggressive decision making can offer high risk and high reward. The best case scenario is that Walman finds some health and is able to continue playing his best in the playoffs. The Oilers might have a defenceman who can tilt the ice in big moments lower in the roster, as well as an option to pinch up the lineup for stretches.
Hopefully, with the rising cap, Walman can upkeep the best of his game into his mid 30s. It is optimistic to think he will remain as effective throughout the rest of his seven year deal, but the contract might be manageable if he can keep contributing. Of course, with the Oilers focused firmly on the here and now behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, there is not much long term thinking being applied.
Follow The Oil Rig on social media!
I was very concerned with the Walman contract when we signed it and last year did not help. That being said, once he was moved back to the 3LD he did far better. He played a lot of the year on his wrong side with nurse as a partner and he struggled. I am confident that he will have a bounce back year and while I still think he is overpaid, the rising cap and rising salaries will make it bearable. I do think Shea will play ahead of him.