Oilers 2025-26 Report Cards: Jake Walman

As the offseason rolls on, so do the Edmonton Oilers’ player grades. The last report card graded Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and now we turn our attention to Jake Walman.

The Oilers acquired Walman at the 2025 Trade Deadline, and he was a much-needed addition to the blue line. He came in at a very reasonable $3.4 million cap hit, which was valuable for a team strapped to the salary cap. He was brought in to fill a role in the top four, while adding versatility. He’s a left shot who can also play the right side. He spent most of his time on the right side with Darnell Nurse on the second pair.

That duo played 376:15 together at 5-on-5, which was the second-most minutes, behind the pair of Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm. He also flipped to the left side on the third pair and played 160:02 with Ty Emberson, and 136:31 with Spencer Stastney. He even played 59:20 with Bouchard and 50:53 with Connor Murphy. The Toronto native bounced around and played on all three pairs, with many different partners.

He had high expectations after his successful 2025 Playoff run, but he didn’t find that same success this season. Let’s look at his disappointing 2025-26 campaign.

2025-26 Performance

Walman registered eight goals and 20 points in 53 games this season, with a team-worst minus-17 rating, averaging 18:45 per game. His shot is his greatest attribute. His hardest shot was clocked at 101.97 miles per hour, which is in the 99th percentile in the league, according to NHL Edge. He’s also a good skater with his max skating speed in the 98th percentile, at 23.52 miles per hour.

Unfortunately, he was below the 50th percentile in both offensive and defensive zone time. That means he spent too much time in the defensive zone and not enough in the offensive zone. That’s not a good combination, especially for a defenceman.

The 30-year-old played 52:15 shorthanded and was on the ice for seven goals against, but also scored two shorthanded goals. He was inconsistent, and after the Oilers acquired Murphy at the trade deadline, Walman was demoted to the third pair alongside Emberson.

The 2014 third-round pick played much better in the playoffs. He registered four assists in six games, with a minus-1 rating, averaging 16:53 per game in a lesser role. Game 1 against the Anaheim Ducks was arguably his best game of the season.

His advanced stats weren’t pretty. When he was on the ice af 5-on-5, the Oilers had 50.88 percent of the shots, 43.59 percent of the scoring chances, and 45.35 percent of the high-danger chances. He was also on the ice for 40.91 percent of the goals, 46.02 percent of the expected goals, and 34.38 percent of the high-danger goals.

Injuries Limited Walman

Walman missed several significant stretches this season due to injury. He got hurt in his first preseason game against the Calgary Flames on Sept. 21, causing him to miss the first six regular-season games with an undisclosed injury. He made his season debut on Oct. 21 against the Ottawa Senators, scoring the overtime winner on a blistering point shot.

Then, he got placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) after blocking a shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 20. He missed the next 23 games with a severe bone bruise before returning on Jan. 13 against the Nashville Predators. He missed a combined 29 games with injury this season. Therefore, he was unable to maintain a rhythm and keep up to speed.

Overall Grade

Last season, Walman received an A- for making an immediate impact. He came in at the trade deadline and drastically improved the blue line. Plus, he was even better during the playoffs. However, that wasn’t the case this season. He battled through injuries, and his play suffered as a result. He was inconsistent and made some pretty head-scratching decisions.

Therefore, he gets a C- for his underwhelming play. His underlying metrics weren’t good, and he had the worst plus/minus on the team. He signed a seven-year contract extension with a $7 million cap hit in October, which kicks in next season. He signed a big ticket, so his play should reflect that. He needs to be much better, because if he’s not, this contract will age horribly.

Do you agree with his grade? Keep following The Hockey Writers as we continue the Oilers’ player report cards throughout the offseason.

Advanced stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick