Oilers Got the Jake Walman They Expected in Game 1

The Edmonton Oilers were impressed enough with what they saw from Jake Walman in a short stint last season to reward him with a seven-year, $49 million deal. Though he did impress after being acquired at last year’s trade deadline, the length and dollar amount of the extension caught many by surprise.

There were worries as to whether or not Walman could live up to that extension, and those worries increased even further throughout his play in the 2025-26 season. While by no means horrible, he left plenty to be desired for a defenceman that is set to command $7 million beginning in 2026-27. Noise was starting to pick up in Edmonton surrounding his extension and how big of a detriment it could become. That said, his play in Game 1 was a great reminder as to how good he can be when at his best.

Walman Was the Oilers Best Defenceman in Game 1

One of the many things that makes Walman a good NHLer is his offensive abilities. It’s an underrated part of his game, and isn’t always all that evident in Edmonton given that he receives little time on the power play. That said, he’s capable of producing at even strength as well, and those tuning into Game 1 versus the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night saw just that.

Walman was ready to go immediately from puck drop. He was Edmonton’s best defencemen when it came to clean transitions out of the defensive zone, making several great outlet passes that resulted in a number of Oilers scoring chances. His best pass of the evening came in the first period, where he fired a rocket to give Jason Dickinson a breakaway. The Oilers new forward made no mistake, beating Lukas Dostal to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead.

Walman wasn’t done there, either, as he picked up a secondary assist on Dickinson’s second goal of the game in the third period that tied things up at three apiece. The Oilers would go on to win the game by a 4-3 final thanks to a goal late in the third from Kasperi Kapanen.

What was very interesting to note was that Walman’s ice time was dramatically cut in Game 1. After averaging slightly less than 19 minutes per game throughout the regular season, he logged just 15:01 last night. One can’t help but wonder if the lesser minutes actually helped out his game.

Though only one game, Walman’s play was a very positive sign for the Oilers. While still possessing one of the best top pairs on the back end in Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm, there isn’t as much depth on their back end as years past. This season saw them move on from Brett Kulak, a reliable blueline option who always seemed to bring his best in the playoffs. With his absence, the Oilers desperately needed Walman to step up, and if last night’s game is any indication, things are looking good on that front.

Walman Adds a Different Element to Oilers Back End

Though Oilers fans still aren’t overly familiar with Walman given that he missed 29 games this season due to injury, he’s a player who, along with offensive upside, provides physicality and doesn’t shy away from putting his body in front of pucks. He is also much better at getting under the skin of his opponents than he’s given credit for.

On Monday night, we seen a bit of all of that from Walman. The key for him will be to remain consistent not only for the remainder of this series, but the entire playoffs should the Oilers advance. If he’s able to keep this up, any criticism that was starting to pick up surrounding his contract will be completely forgotten about.