Heading into the 2026–27 season, it seemed like the defensive corps of the Edmonton Oilers was fairly settled. The top pairing of Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm would continue to excel, offseason additions Ryan Shea and Shakir Mukhamadullin would provide depth and stability, and recent trade acquisition Connor Murphy would remain as a top-four option.
Those expectations have had varying results. Bouchard has been exceptional, Ekholm has been steady, and Shea might be the team’s best move of the offseason. However, Murphy has struggled and Mukhamadullin is up and down.
One other expectation heading into the year was a healthy resurgent year for Jake Walman. Not only has Walman been hurt to start 2026–27, he’s been flat out not good enough, including two straight games in the press box last week. So what’s next for Walman in Edmonton, and what role should he play, or will the Oilers need to explore other options?
Walman was supposed to be important
Walman’s acquisition during that 2025 season was another example of the Oilers bolstering for a deep playoff run, and he seemed to be exactly what Edmonton needed at the time. Walman’s arrival strengthened the second pairing with Darnell Nurse, but it was during the playoffs alongside John Klingberg that Walman really shone.
After the Oilers were eliminated in the Cup Final, Walman earned himself a contract extension to the tune of seven years and $49M, with a full no-trade in the first three seasons of the deal. At the time, Walman’s deal looked like the perfect level for a player of his calibre.
Unfortunately, 2025–26 was for Walman like it was for most of the Oilers: unsettled. He only played 53 games due to various injuries, and posted his lowest points total (21) since his first full-time NHL season. Going into this season, with some extra time to rest and get ready, along with some new defensive options, it was expected for Walman to bounce back; so far he’s failed to do so. In fact, he’s been the worst defenceman on the ice for Edmonton some nights.
How bad? Let’s check the stats.
A terrible start for the defenceman
Per Natural Stat Trick, Walman has a GF/GA of 3/11 so far this season in 131 minutes. His two most common defensive partners have been Mukhamadullin and Ty Emberson.
In 29 minutes, Walman-Mukhamadullin have a CF% of 42.5, a SCF% of 31.82, an xGF% of 38.62, and have been outscored 0–4. In 53 minutes. Walman-Emberson have a CF% of 43.14, a SCF% of 31.82, an xGF% of 38.66, and have been outscored 1:2. As a result of this, Walman was healthy scratched in back-to-back games against the Calgary Flames on October 28, and against the Rangers on October 31.
He returned to the lineup this past Tuesday against New Jersey as well as yesterday’s contest against Anaheim, but barely played. Just 11:46 of ice time against the Devils, and 12:18 against the Ducks.
The fix for Walman on the blueline
Walman is in year one of a seven year deal. It would be almost impossible to punt on the player and trade him, especially due to his no-move clause. However, results like this can’t go on.
One possible fix could be to actually elevate him in the lineup. Per NST, Walman’s most positive metrics come alongside Evan Bouchard. It’s a small sample size, just 21:34 of ice time together, but in those minutes the pair is running a CF% of 72.34, a SCF% of 72.73, an xGF% of 70.50, and have gone 2/2 in GF/GA. Those are early returns and likely unsustainable ones, but Bouchard has proven he can play with anyone. Maybe putting Walman on a pairing when he doesn’t have to be the main puck mover could provide some benefits.
Moving Walman with Bouchard could also solve some other issues, mainly the pairing of Shea-Murphy struggling due to Murphy. If the Oilers put Walman with Bouchard, maybe Shea could play on the second pair with Emberson, while Ekholm could be paired with Murphy to calm the veteran’s game. It’s worth a shot, and with the Oilers’ hot start to begin the year, they could afford a couple games of experimenting to see if they’ve got fixes for any blueline issues.
Walman needs to improve to stay in the lineup
The Oilers need Walman to play better, and he needs it too. The team is better when he’s an positive part of the lineup. His contributions to the 2025 Stanley Cup Final run earned him that contract, and he was extremely effective. Unfortunately it just hasn’t carried over.
Edmonton will need a fix for Walman, and sooner rather than later. If not, players like Damian Carfagna are going to get NHL shots, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but certainly not what people envisioned of Walman entering this season.
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