While most of the focus from fans is on what the extension for Connor McDavid will look like, the Edmonton Oilers have some other players they need to make decisions on soon. One of them is defender Jake Walman, who was acquired from the San Jose Sharks before the 2025 Trade Deadline and was a great fit, helping the Oilers make another deep run into the postseason.
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In a recent segment on Oilers Now, Bob Stauffer speculated that the Oilers could pursue an eight-year extension for Walman. In the upcoming collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that will change some rules, one thing that is changing is the maximum length of contracts. For teams that have the rights to players, they will only be allowed to sign players to a seven-year contract, down from eight years, and for free agents who aren’t owned by any team, teams will be allowed to sign them to a six-year contract, down from seven years.
The new CBA comes into affect in the 2026-27 season, so teams have one more season to extend players to eight-year deals, and plenty of teams are going to try and take advantage of that. It sounds like the Oilers are interested in handing out those long-term deals to players who can help them both now and in the future, and Walman is someone who can do both. General manager Stan Bowman has been very open in saying he thinks extension discussions will pick up closer to training camp, but time will tell if and when the team gets a new deal done for the defender.
Walman Stabilizes Oilers’ Defensive Core
Walman has proven to be an incredible defender for the Oilers. Some fans were concerned about his ability to fit into the Oilers’ system considering he was known to have flashy celebrations and play in a way that rubbed some fans the wrong way. However, his physical style combined with his willingness to play smart at both ends of the ice made him a fan favourite almost right away.
Take a look at his analytics here:
Jake Walman, acquired by EDM, is an offensive defenceman. Has a big point shot and loves to use it. Good puck mover with a nice stretch pass. Can be a bit turnover prone, not particularly physical. Has had an impressive season all things considered as SJ’s #1. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/Dqxa6gI8ev
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 7, 2025
There were obviously concerns about his defensive play coming in, considering his analytics weren’t the most promising. However, his ability to play alongside any of the other defenders and be a puck mover that keeps the puck out of the defensive zone is impressive. Quite a few fans enjoyed seeing him alongside Bouchard since it seemed like the duo seemed to keep the puck in the offensive zone more than any other pairing, but he was fun to watch no matter where he played.
Locking down a 29-year-old defender to an eight-year extension is always risky, since it will take him to the age of 37 and it’s possible he starts to decline midway through his deal, however, keeping him locked down as long as they can while he’s playing strong hockey is going to be important. If they structure the contract correctly and make it so that he can be traded easily near the end of the deal, should that be something they want to explore, the deal could look like a steal.
Time will tell what a new deal for Walman will look like, but it seems like a matter of when, not if, he signs an extension with the Oilers.
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