The Edmonton Oilers will head into the new season hoping that, as the old expression goes, “the third time’s a charm.” The franchise that was the NHL’s dominant dynasty of the late 1980s finally returned to the Stanley Cup Finals two seasons ago, and then in the season that just wrapped up as well.
But, of course, they lost both times — to the same team, the Florida Panthers, a team that did not even exist last time the Oilers won the Cup in 1990.
A key member of the most recent Oilers Stanley Cup finalist was defenseman Jake Walman, who arrived in March from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2026 conditional first-round draft pick along with wing prospect Carl Berglund, signed by Edmonton as an undrafted free agent in 2023.
Walman Could Be a ‘Steal’ if Oilers Keep Him
For Walman, the move to the Oilers was his second relocation in nine months. The 2014 St. Louis Blues third-round draft pick spent the previous three seasons in Detroit until the Red Wings dealt him to San Jose in the 2024 offseason. For the Red Wings, the move was a salary dump, unloading the remaining $6.7 million of the 29-year-old’s three-year, $10.2 million contract.
Walman is set to be paid $3.3 million for his services in the upcoming season, though his cap hit is calculated at $3.4 million according to the financial site PuckPedia.
Now, however, the Oilers can pull off what the NHL Trade Talk site called “the steal of the offseason,” by extending Walman’s contract and even making him an Oiler for the rest of his career before he hits free agency in 2026.
According to NFL Trade Talk, in an article attributed to the site’s staff, the Oilers could structure a deal that would benefit both Walman and the team — a deal that would pay the left-shot blue-liner $6 million per year for eight seasons after the conclusion of his current contract, wrapping Walman up until age 38.
Edmonton Has Advantage by Locking up Walman Now
“Under the current CBA rules, a team signing a player away in free agency can only offer a six-year deal. But Edmonton can go the full eight years if they lock him up before he hits the market,” wrote the Trade Talk analysts. “An eight-year, $48 million deal, averaging $6 million per season, might be all it takes to get it done.”
But, the site notes, Walman would likely be able to command as much as $8 million per season on the open market if he chooses to wait. So why would he willingly take less annual money? According to the analysts, the deal would be a “win-win” for both sides.
“The appeal of two extra contract years, financial security into his late 30s, and a real shot at a Stanley Cup with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl makes Edmonton an attractive fit,” according to NFL Trade Talk. “He stands to make the same or more total money over the rest of his career with Edmonton than by signing a six-year deal anywhere else.”
From the Edmonton perspective, a $6 million per year deal for Walman would be a “steal,” if indeed the Toronto native “continues to play like a borderline top-pairing defenseman. It’s a classic win-win scenario: Walman locks in the last big payday of his career, and Edmonton lands a reliable blue-liner at a cost that could look like a bargain within two years.”
In 15 games for the Oilers following the trade, Walman managed a plus-minus number of five, after a -1 figure in 50 games with the Sharks.
Oilers Picked To Score ‘Steal of the Offseason’ in ‘Win-Win’ Signing