The Edmonton Oilers have been a busy organization today. First, they signed Connor McDavid to a two-year contract extension. Now, they’ve announced that they’ve signed defenseman Jake Walman to a seven-year contract extension. The deal is worth $49 million and carries an average annual value (AAV) of $7 million.
Related: Connor McDavid Signs 2-Year Extension With Edmonton Oilers
Now that the Oilers have both players signed, they sit slightly over the cap for next season. That makes things very interesting heading into the coming weeks as they figure out how to become cap compliant while also re-signing Mattias Ekholm.
Walman Signed Long-Term
When the Oilers brought in Walman just before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline in a deal with the San Jose Sharks, there was a good chance he’d sign an extension. Locking him in long-term at a $7 million cap hit, with the cap continuing to rise, could make this deal look like a very good contract down the road, especially when defenseman could be earning upwards to $8 to $9-plus million per season.
Last season, he split time between the Sharks and Oilers, scoring seven goals and adding 33 assists for 40 points. That marked a career-high for the 29-year-old, whose previous best was 21 points in 2023-24 with the Detroit Red Wings. Over his career, he’s played in 267 games and has scored 32 goals and 59 assists for 91 points.
