Will Constant Walman Scratches Lead to a Trade Out of Edmonton?

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Jake Walman is a healthy scratch again. That makes five times in the last seven games that the defenseman will sit. It’s anything but ideal, given the important role the Edmonton Oilers were hoping he’d play on this team and the salary they are paying him to do so.

Walman is the second-highest paid defenseman on the team, and he’s watching from the press box. When he is in, he’s playing under 14 minutes per game in a bottom-pairing role, not trusted at key moments in the game. All signs are pointing to a team that is both trying to get him to learn an important message and is frustrated that he might not be.

How long before this situation comes to a head?

Babcock Explains His Decision to Sit Walman

Mike Babcock was asked about Walman and what’s going on. He was straightforward in his response, saying the defenseman just isn’t giving the team what they need out of him.

“I just think the bottom line is: what do you do without the puck? What chances are you involved in? What do you do when you have it? And it’s a hard, hard league, and so each and every night, we evaluate the whole situation, and unlike you guys who watch it once, we watch it over and over again with five people, and so we got a pretty good handle on the thing,” explained head coach Mike Babcock after the morning skate on Monday. “Then, lots of times, the analytics from the outside aren’t what we have on the inside, and so what we do is we just try to make the best decisions to help the team be successful. At the same time, we’re trying to build everybody up so they can be the best version of themselves. And sometimes it’s hard when it’s not going your way.”

The Oilers aren’t wrong to sit Walman. Frankly, Edmonton’s defencemen is performing better without him in than when he is. Having said that, the Oilers need Walman to find his game. This is an important player and a strong Walman who is playing the way he’s capable of makes the team better.

It’s more than Walman being a step behind and getting caught out of position. It seems to be his effort level and desire that people are questioning. Need proof? According to NHL.com, Walman hasn’t thrown one hit all year. That’s the kind of thing a coach will notice and Babcock seems to have, given his comments about what you do without the puck.

So Now What?

If Walman can’t figure it out, and the Oilers are running out of reasons to let him, it won’t be long before the team and the player have a conversation about his future. In the first year of a seven-year extension, it’s going to be a long contract for Walman if this is his fate.

He holds trade protection, but if he’s under the assumption that he’s lost the respect of the coaching staff here, one has to assume he’d be open to a change. The Oilers would certainly be open to moving a $7 million player who isn’t playing.

There’s a lot of time here to sort things out. It starts with Walman getting another look and him making the most of it. Every start now is a matter of career longevity. He can’t keep giving the coaches reasons to sit him. He needs to give them reasons to put him in. Without a good reason, keeping him on the team at all starts to make very little sense.

Next: What Would It Take for the Oilers to Land Roman Josi?