"Never called around the league": NHL insider Frank Seravalli offers new insight into Red Wings' trade to Sharks involving $10.2M defenseman

San Jose Sharks defenseman Jake Walman was traded this offseason from the Detroit Red Wings along with a 2024 second-round draft pick. This news surprised many around the NHL, especially since Walman signed a three-year, $10.2 million deal ($3.4 million per season).

Walman's strong play to begin the 2024-25 campaign has added more fuel to the fire. He has already put up 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in just 31 games. Those 25 points surpassed his previous career-best of 21 in 2023-24.

Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli spoke about the trade on Monday morning on the “DFO Rundown” podcast.

"It wasn’t that you just got rid of Walman, it was that you never called around the rest of the league to find out whether or not someone would give you a better price for Walman than the San Jose sharks did," Seravalli said.

"There were teams that would’ve paid less or some would’ve even considered taking on Walman for free, I’m told, had Steve Yzerman put in the work and made the phone calls. You’re paying for someone to take him, not giving him away."

Red Wings could use a player like Jake Walman

The only Red Wings defenseman close to Jake Walman's production this season is Moritz Seider, who has recorded 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) in 36 games. A solid 0.56 points-per-game clip, though still not nearly as productive as Walman's 0.81 points-per-game rate.

Detroit is tied for last place in the Atlantic Division with the Buffalo Sabres (32 points) and fired coach Derek Lalonde on Thursday. They've gone 1-1-0 with new bench boss Todd McLellan, but it's clear that they made some major roster errors this summer. Jake Walman is a big one.

The Red Wings will host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena. The puck drops at 8 p.m. ET.