Confirmed with Link: [EDM/SJS] Jake Walman <--> cond. EDM 1st '26 (Top-12 protected) & Carl Berglund

[McTonyBrar]

Guilty as charged…from what I’m reading, I should be happy?

Very happy. I was not expecting Walman at all. I thought we'd get Murphy.

But I'm ecstatic

Walman is 8th on the Sharks in GA/60 5x5 (3.22) 7th in HDGA/60 (1.43) and 9th in On Ice Sv% (89.2), this would be last on the Oilers except Dineen.

Yeah the Sharks are bad and maybe he’s played a pair higher than he should, but that’s a bit scary.

Enjoy this,

SJ 5v5 with Walman on the ice : -1
SJ 5v5 without Walman on the ice: -37

 

[McTonyBrar]

Take it easy sport, I would be looking for a larger fish to spend my 1st on then this player. Hard to say if that player is on the market from sitting on my couch but getting another Ekholm level defender for a larger package is what I would be looking for.

Okay. Who? What other Dman in the market right now is better than Walman?

 

[Sheikyerbouti]

Reading more into this, watching highlights and looking at stats. He is a deceptive player.
He seems to be good puck moving and offensively but his defensive game is very up and down. Not consistent and his good is only okay.
He has spent the majority of his time playing on the left side, rarely on the right. Last year he had a rough year and was rough by most metrics. This year he has bounced back but the second half hasn’t been as good.

My still biggest issue with this deal is neither Kulak nor Nurse should be on their off side and Walman clearly hasn’t done it much either.

Now if the return is only a nothing prospect and a 1st well…this has spent 1sts on worst.

Nurse is going to the right imo

I did some reading too and long term this feels like a Bouchard failsafe imo. He's good at many of the things Bouchard is great at, but plays all situations -- for 3.5.

He's offensive but apparently also good on PK and blocks shots, which is pretty intrigiuing, but an odd fit for our roster. Maybe they seem him playing with Bouchard and Ekholm with Nurse?

 

[McFlyingV]

Nurse is going to the right imo

I did some reading too and long term this feels like a Bouchard failsafe imo. He's good at many of the things Bouchard is great at, but plays all situations -- for 3.5.

He's offensive but apparently also good on PK and blocks shots, which is pretty intrigiuing, but an odd fit for our roster. Maybe they seem him playing with Bouchard and Ekholm with Nurse?

Don't really see him as an odd fit. Oilers needed another good skating puck mover on the backend. As of right now Bouchard is the only good puck mover on the backend, with Kulak and Ekholm being ok to good puck movers, and Nurse being more of a puck transporter. Walman also having a heavy shot is another nice add. Gotta rely on heavy point shots and traffic sometimes in the playoffs when the middle of the ice becomes hard to penetrate.

 

[McDoused]

Is this a left shot guy who can actually play the right side. Or is this a left shot guy that "can play the right side." Looking at his d partners over the last few years it seems like he's almost exclusively played on the left side.

I've been told by sharks and wings fans that he's considerably better on the left side.

I would imagine he's slotted with Emberson on the bottom pair.

I think moving Kulak to the right side is a disaster waiting to happen in the playoffs. Hopefully Walman can play right side and actually wants to play right side or the trade kinda confuses me.

Kulaks numbers with Nurse this year have been fantastic.

 

[Soli]

 

[Vagabond]

So the prospect the Oilers gave up is Berglund! Ahahaha

That's a good deal.

 

[Patch101]

You guys r fast, haha

I'm ok with this now. If he holds up as good as everyone claims.

 

[VeteranPresence]

I've been told by sharks and wings fans that he's considerably better on the left side.

I would imagine he's slotted with Emberson on the bottom pair

Stan Bowman giving up a first round pick for a third pairing D is the most Stan Bowman thing possible.

 

[guymez]

I've been told by sharks and wings fans that he's considerably better on the left side.

I would imagine he's slotted with Emberson on the bottom pair.



Kulaks numbers with Nurse this year have been fantastic.

I cant see the team sending out a 1st plus a prospect for a top 4 dman (more accurately a top 2 dman) currently playing over 23 minutes only to knock him down to a 3rd pairing dman playing 15 minutes. (Embersons TOI)

Walman was playing in top pairing role against the other teams best players in San Jose and doing very well so a 2nd pairing role on his off wing may be the comprimise they are considering.

If they do decide to play him on the 3rd pair then Coffey likely wont have Bouchard and Ekholm playing heavy minutes...they'll distribute the minutes more evenly throughout the 3 pairs.

 

[McFlyingV]

I've been told by sharks and wings fans that he's considerably better on the left side.

I would imagine he's slotted with Emberson on the bottom pair.



Kulaks numbers with Nurse this year have been fantastic.

I'd try Nurse on the right side with Walman first. If Walman is playing as well as his numbers and a lot of his closer followers are saying then he should in theory be a good fit with Nurse, and Kulak is a good fit with Emberson. Emberson's best numbers this year have come when paired with Kulak.

 

[McDoused]

Stan Bowman giving up a first round pick for a third pairing D is the most Stan Bowman thing possible.

Hes not a bottom pairing dman. He's a top 4 guy playing in the bottom pair. Nothing wrong with having 3 solid d pairings in the playoffs.

 

[McIce Whole]

What is the point of this trade? Player himself seems fine, the fit just seems weird. Why are we trading a first for a guy that’s going to be 3LD?

We desperately need a 2RD and a goalie yet we traded one of our main trading chips for a 3LD on this team.

Hopefully there is more but haven’t been a fan of Stan at all so far. Overpaying for players that won’t move the needle here.

 

[McDoused]

I'd try Nurse on the right side with Walman first. If Walman is playing as well as his numbers and a lot of his closer followers are saying then he should in theory be a good fit with Nurse, and Kulak is a good fit with Emberson. Emberson's best numbers this year have come when paired with Kulak.

I mean sure give it a try but personally I don't think Nurse and Walman match stylistically.

 

[Sheikyerbouti]

Really?
Please do post what you have seen because thats contrary to almost every report I have heard up to now.

Think bouchard, it's not always bad D, sometimes it's puck decisions in the d zone. I read the same things about Walman fwiw. Has a tendency to create his own trouble and is poor at defending the rush

Who knows though, hard to glean much from the internet. Offensive Dman/PK shot blocker sounds like a two way player

I would imagine he's slotted with Emberson on the bottom pair.

He's in our top 4 for sure imo. He's been surviving all situations against the best in SJ, and we paid a first for him.

 

[Spawn]

Hes not a bottom pairing dman. He's a top 4 guy playing in the bottom pair. Nothing wrong with having 3 solid d pairings in the playoffs.

Problem is we’re still left with a gaping hole at the 2RD spot. Kulak is not a top 4 dman. Especially on his offhand.

 

[VeteranPresence]

Hes not a bottom pairing dman. He's a top 4 guy playing in the bottom pair. Nothing wrong with having 3 solid d pairings in the playoffs.

There is in fact something wrong with that when it makes Brett Kulak a 2RD on a supposed “contender”.

Even still, okay, say you’re fine with that… why not pay a 1st for a player who is on the ice for 60 minutes (cough goalie cough) as opposed to one who is on it for 17? There were lots of ways to find a third pairing PMD for less.

Bowman is an idiot, plain and simple. Believe people when they show you who they are and all that.

 

[Duder54]

What is the point of this trade? Player himself seems fine, the fit just seems weird. Why are we trading a first for a guy that’s going to be 3LD?

We desperately need a 2RD and a goalie yet we traded one of our main trading chips for a 3LD on this team.

Hopefully there is more but haven’t been a fan of Stan at all so far. Overpaying for players that won’t move the needle here.

Yeah, nothing against the player, but I don't get it either. We need help on the right side. 1st seems like an overpay to me, especially with zero retention (I'm aware the Sharks have no retention slots left).

 

[Soli]

 

[McFlyingV]

I mean sure give it a try but personally I don't think Nurse and Walman match stylistically.

Really? I've always seen Nurse's ideal partner as a mobile puck mover. Mind you I haven't watched much of Walman this year, but a lot of the reviews I've seen on him seem like he'd fit well there.

To add to that Emberson's best stats this year by far have been when paired with Kulak, and Kulak may sink with top 4 minutes in the playoffs we just don't know for sure. He's a better Dman than Ceci, but we saw Ceci's game completely fall apart in top 4 minutes. I don't think we'd see that from Kulak, but he might not be as effective as he's been recently in the playoffs in a smaller role.

 

[guymez]

Think bouchard, it's not always bad D, sometimes it's puck decisions in the d zone. I read the same things about Walman fwiw. Has a tendency to create his own trouble and is poor at defending the rush

Who knows though, hard to glean much from the internet. Offensive Dman/PK shot blocker sounds like a two way player

He's in our top 4 for sure imo. He's been surviving all situations against the best in SJ, and we paid a first for him.

I hear what you are saying about Bouchard. Walman is obviously not a perfect dman...every dman has his flaws.
I mean if we were to draw up a report on Bouchard and detail what his flaws are I am willing to bet that list would be longer than Walmans list.
So Walman does have some flaws but they arent much of an issue IMO.

So I agree with you that he is in the top 4 for sure though. Unless of course the coaches decide to play Walman on his natural side and redistribute the minutes.
Something that I think @Dazed and Confused was posting about. Its an interesting idea that I have given some thought to.
They can consider that because the pairs are much more balanced now than at any other point in the last couple of years.

Ekhom - Bouchard
Nurse - Kulak
Walman - Emberson

That looks pretty balanced to me.
Is there really a pairing that we would worry about if the other team had last change? Not really.
Kulak and Walman can also trade off occasionally as well.

Here is what the Oilers defence looked like to start the playoffs last season...

Ekhom - Bouchard
Nurse - Ceci
Kulak - Desharnais

This years defence is a significant upgrade on last years.
Last year I didnt have a lot of faith in the 2nd or the 3rd pairing and that defence + Broberg took them to game 7 of the SCF.

 

[McFlyingV]

Problem is we’re still left with a gaping hole at the 2RD spot. Kulak is not a top 4 dman. Especially on his offhand.

I'm sure one of Nurse or Walman will be able to slot in there. Nurse looked fine doing it earlier this year.

 

[McDoused]

Problem is we’re still left with a gaping hole at the 2RD spot. Kulak is not a top 4 dman. Especially on his offhand.

Look around the league at how teams build lines and pairs. You can spread out the wealth. Tampa Bay did the same thing they had Hedman, Sergachev and McDonagh down the left side. Edmonton should be able to pair a stronger defenceman than carries a weaker player.

I think people here have become too fixated on a top 4 RHD since Larsson left and are desperate to plug that hole. Asking Walman to play his offside might work but if you're going to do that, you might as well as Kulak who has put up very strong numbers with him imo.

 

[Oilhawks]

Damn, only Berglund with the protected first? Great deal. Stan cooked on this. Pretty good value for the Frederic & M. Jones deal too, IMO

 

[McFlyingV]

Yeah, nothing against the player, but I don't get it either. We need help on the right side. 1st seems like an overpay to me, especially with zero retention (I'm aware the Sharks have no retention slots left).

1st doesn't seem all that bad when you're getting him for next year minimum as well.

Here's to hoping he could be an even more pleasant surprise like we got with Ekholm, or like the Avs got with Toews several years back.

I will say I do love that this guy is a great skater with a cannon of a shot. Having bombs on the backend from Bouchard, Ekholm and Walman (and occasionally Kulak) should give them some more scoring depth when time and space starts to disappear out there. The addition of Frederic, hopefully Kane, and current players like Hyman and Perry who are net hounds will complement these big shots well.