Early Long-Term Bet on Blueliner Has Insider Doubting Oilers Ahead of Deadline

With the trade deadline looming, where the Edmonton Oilers will focus their attention needs to be addressed over the Olympic break. With limited salary cap space and some tricky contract obligations, one insider believes Edmonton may have jumped the gun on a couple of players.

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Some believe the Oilers should prioritize a defenseman at the deadline. Seravalli doesn’t believe the organization can or that it’s what they are doing. “Honestly, I don’t see it. And I believe, just in the conversations that I’ve had, that the Oilers haven’t really spent a ton of time looking at defence, that their thought process has been, ‘We will improve organically when the time is right.'” He added, “It’s also not just an asset thing, like it becomes a true salary cap juggle.”

Among the question marks is Walman, who has struggled to replicate his 2025 playoff performance. He’s also had issues staying healthy. Frank Seravalli was a guest on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer and argued that when GM Stan Bowman handed Jake Walman a long-term deal last summer, he may have handcuffed himself.

Was It a Mistake to Sign Walman So Quickly?

Seravalli criticized the Oilers’ aggressive contract strategy, calling the rush to lock up Walman premature. “I mean, what was the rush to sign Walman to the extension last summer? Sometimes aggression needs to be commended, but in this case, it seems their evaluation process has been a little bit off,” Seravalli said, suggesting the Walman deal and other long-term deals like Trent Frederic’s eight-year contract were a mistake.

There’s not much Bowman can do about it now, except get those guys going. With that in mind, it will be intriguing to see whether the Oilers address Walman’s issues by making changes. Walman is a good player, so he could find his way coming out of the break and before March 6. If he does, the Oilers can breathe a bit easier. If he doesn’t, there’s a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option.

Rumors that the Oilers might be considering asking Paul Coffey—whose career combined offensive skill with defensive savvy— to return could help a player like Walman find his game. It may not turn the defenseman into the impactful player he was in the playoffs last season, but that combination has worked before.

h/t to David Staples of the Edmonton Journal for the transcript

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