‘That’s a win!’: Hockey world reacts to Edmonton Oilers trading for a Top 4 d-man
“We’ll see if it gets over the finish line,” said Pagnotta.
It eventually did.
Update with full details of the trade from the Oilers organization: “The Edmonton Oilers announced Thursday they have acquired defenceman Jake Walman from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a conditional first-round draft pick in 2026 and forward Carl Berglund. If the Oilers first-round selection in 2026 is in the top 12, the team may instead choose to transfer their 2027 first-round pick to San Jose. Should Edmonton choose to trade their 2027 first-round pick prior to the 2026 NHL trade deadline, the 2026 first-round selection will automatically transfer to San Jose unconditionally.”
Here is the Cult’s Bruce McCurdy with his full report on the trade.
The hockey world reacted fast and furiously. Here are some of the highlights:
Hockey cap website PuckPedia @PuckPedia
After acquiring Walman, #LetsGoOilers have $301K Cap Space remaining in LTIR with 24 active players (13F/9D/2G). Note there is no longer roster size limit.
LTIR: Kane
IR: Frederic
’25 Picks:
3rd, 6th, 7th
’26 Picks:
2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th
Oilers fan Dyl @dhockey13
Mike Grier really gave us Emberson for Ceci and Jake Walman for a decent price. Once an Oiler always an Oiler.
The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn @domluszczyszyn
Jake Walman has been a bright spot for the Sharks this year. A bit of a surprise to see him moved, but a great get for the Oilers.
The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta @TheFourthPeriod
Walman is indeed going to Edmonton. The return is not yet confirmed, but chatter of a 1st round pick going to SJ… Walman has been informed he’s being traded to Edmonton. There might be a small caveat that holds it up, but assuming that is smoothed out, this should get finalized.
The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli @frank_seravalli
Sounds like #Oilers have some roster constraint issues (tonight’s lineup was an adventure) and rosters expand after midnight tonight. So, Edmonton is on their way to completing a deal to acquiring Walman, but may be some time before they can complete/ announce it.
Walman really isn’t a good fit for the Oilers needs, but man they don’t grow 2nd pair right handed DFD’s on trees, so you gotta take what you can get. Also he has another year at just $3.4M.
Daily Faceoff hockey writer Steven Ellis @SEllisHockey
Oilers fans are going to really like Jake Walman.
