Walman using offensive skill, size to fit in well with Oilers after trade from Sharks

EDMONTON -- Jake Walman is fitting in well with the Edmonton Oilers and is happy to be reunited with childhood teammate Connor McDavid.

The defenseman was acquired by Edmonton in a trade with the San Jose Sharks for a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and forward prospect Carl Berglund on March 7.

Walman will play his sixth game with the Oilers when Edmonton faces the Utah Hockey Club at Rogers Place on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN1, ESPN).

"You can compare it to a dream kind of, when you walk in and see things here for the first time," Walman said shortly after arriving in Edmonton. "I got to pinch myself a little bit. It's cool for me being back and seeing Connor. I know a bunch of guys from this team and there are some new faces, so I'm excited."

Walman played with and against McDavid as a youth in the Greater Toronto Hockey League. The 29-year-old went on to play with Providence College and was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the third round (No. 82) of the 2014 NHL Draft.

He was traded from St. Louis to the Detroit Red Wings on March 21, 2022, and was acquired by San Jose on June 25, 2024. His 32 points (six goals, 26 assists) in 50 games with the Sharks already were an NHL career-high, and he has two assists and is a plus-4 in five games with the Oilers.

"He's more physical than I thought, that's what I've noticed," McDavid said prior to a 3-1 win at the New York Rangers on Sunday. "He has a big body (6-foot-1, 218 pounds), and he skates well. I think everybody knew he was good with the puck, but he's a little more physical than I thought."

The Oilers are hoping the addition of Walman helps them go on another long run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after losing to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Final last season.

Edmonton was looking to shore up its blue line heading down the stretch of the regular season and felt Walman would be a perfect fit. He has one season remaining on the three-year, $10.2 million contract ($3.4 million average annual value) he signed with Detroit on Feb. 28, 2023.

"Walman is a pretty big upgrade for our group," Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said. "He's someone that we've talked about going back to the middle of the year as a big target. [Sharks general manager] Mike Grier was probably tired of talking to me about him, because I was told for a long time that he would not trade him, he's got another year [on his contract]. We kind of just stuck with it and when we pitched it to him [prior to the Trade Deadline], I think we got his attention to where he came in. I think that's a big piece that we're excited about."

Walman had become an import part of a rebuilding team in San Jose and did not expect to be traded. However, he is excited at the prospect of playing in the playoffs. In six NHL seasons, he's skated in one playoff game, with St. Louis in 2021.

"I was a little bit shocked, I don't think it was really expected," he said. "But at the same time, anything can happen, that’s one thing I’ve learned. When I found out it was Edmonton, the challenge they have here and working towards the end goal, is something I've always wanted to be a part of. Playing meaningful games is a little bit of a different situation than I was in, but I've always wanted to play meaningful games at this time."

Walman made an excellent first impression in his Oilers debut, setting up forward Zach Hyman with a breakaway pass that led to a goal in a 5-4 win against the Dallas Stars on March 8, and finished the game with a plus-3 rating in 24:40 of ice time. Walman got his second assist during a 3-2 loss at the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, on a goal by defense partner Evan Bouchard.

"He's kind of got the whole package,” Bouchard said. "His offense is there, he's physical, makes a good first play and skates really well too, which is good to see in someone that's making plays and giving the puck to Connor or Leon [Draisaitl]. You kind of need guys back there that can do that and he's been doing that very well."

Walman's arrival adds more size and strength to the Oilers defense, a group that also includes Bouchard, Darnell Nurse, Mattias Ekholm, Brett Kulak, Ty Emberson, Troy Stecher and John Klingberg. Edmonton (39-24-4) is second in the Pacific Division, four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights and one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings.

"Nice addition for our team, adds a lot of speed," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said prior to the win against the Rangers. "He's a great guy to get the puck and get it out of pressure. His mobility is as good as anybody's for a defenseman and then adds a little more offense to our team."

Walman will help in Edmonton's quest to finish at the top of its division for the first time since it won the Smythe Division in 1986-87, and is happy to be back on McDavid's team.

"Growing up with him and seeing him in summer training, he's an unreal competitor, great person, even a better player and I'm really excited to play with these guys," Walman said. "It was not so much fun playing against him in the GTHL. I've seen him blossom. He was always stick-handling in the hallways and working on his craft, so he's always been good."

NHL.com staff writer David Satriano contributed to this report