Oilers sign Jake Walman to seven-year contract extension

Another notable piece of business in the provincial capital of Alberta.

The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenseman Jake Walman to a seven-year contract extension. The deal will carry an AAV of $7 million through the 2032-33 season.

It’s a nice little pay bump for Walman, who is heading into the final season of his three-year contract that he signed with the Detroit Red Wings in February 2023. The deal has a cap hit of $3.4 million. The new contract provides a little security for the Armour Heights, Ont. native. In his NHL career, Walman has never signed a contract longer than three years.

The extension shows Walman’s worth to the Oilers. The team acquired him at the trade deadline last March from the San Jose Sharks, hoping he could provide some assurance on the back end. The deal paid off. Not only did Walman show some of his scoring prowess, which made him a fan favorite during his brief time in Detroit, but he was solid in his own end of the rink, making him a key player as Edmonton made it back to the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row. Yet, it wasn’t enough to get the Oilers over the hump, as they lost to the Florida Panthers once again.

In 15 games with the Oilers near the end of the regular season, Walman scored a goal and seven assists for eight points, giving him a career-high 40 points in 65 games on the year. In the playoffs, the 29-year-old delivered two goals and eight assists for 10 points, posting a plus/minus of +9 while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game.

In 267 regular-season games in the NHL, Walman has scored 32 goals and 59 assists for 91 points.

The Oilers now have a solid core on their blue line for years to come. With Walman extended, Edmoton has three defensmen locked up through at least 2028-29, as Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse are also on long-term deals.