Edmonton Oilers' latest $10,200,000 trade acquisition pumped to deliver big results in playoffs

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman is playing for his third NHL team in 12 months, having been traded during the offseason from the Detroit Red Wings to the San Jose Sharks.

After playing well for a Sharks team that had zero chance at the postseason as the NHL's worst club, Walman now finds himself with the defending Western Conference champions who came within one victory of winning the Stanley Cup last season.

The Oilers acquired Walman from the Sharks on the eve of the NHL Trade Deadline, sending a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and forward prospect Carl Berglund back to the Sharks in return.

Walman gets to try and make an impact for an Oilers club with aspirations of a repeat trip to the Final.

“I watched all the games last year, and Edmonton was the team I was cheering for,” Walman said Wednesday. “Connor is my buddy growing up, so I just really want him to win. Being a part of that now is a cool feeling."

“I think I elevate my game in those big, big moments,” he said. “I'm one of those guys that can fit in well, and when these guys are moving it’s really just fitting in at that point, and go about it pretty seamlessly. In my hands, out of my hands. Seeing the play quickly. I mean, the physical part, I'm fully ready for that. That's what comes with the short rink. Yeah, I'm ready for it.”

Jake Walman is playing in the second season of a three-year, $10.4 million contract that he signed with the Red Wings with a cap hit of $3.4 million.

Jake Walman led the Sharks in scoring by a defenseman before his trade

Walman was originally selected by the St. Louis Blues in the 2014 NHL Draft with the 82nd overall pick.

After playing a single game for the Blues in the 2019-20 NHL season, he got his first real dose of NHL experience by playing in 24 games in 2020-21 before being traded to Detroit along with Oskar Sundqvist in exchange for veteran defenseman Nick Leddy.

After playing two years with the Red Wings, he was traded to the Sharks this past offseason with a second-round draft pick for future considerations. He fit in well with the Sharks, leading them in scoring by a defenseman with six goals and 26 assists.

He has one lone game of postseason experience, a number that will grow next month.