Edmonton Oilers Positioned Defenseman Jake Walman on injured reserve Thursday, a move that provides temporary roster and cap flexibility as the team finalizes its early season roster, particularly after the recent signing of Jack Roslovic. While Walman’s absence is a setback, it allows Edmonton to officially add Roslovic without needing to trade or waive another player – at least for now.
Walman’s IR placement may be retroactive to the start of the season, meaning he could return as soon as he is healthy. According to PuckPedia“Walman would be eligible to be activated from IR at any time. If Walman is activated and Roslovic is on the roster, another player would have to come off (IR or minors) to be at 23 players.”
Originally scheduled to only miss the season opener, Walman has now been ruled out for Saturday’s game against Vancouver. The 28-year-old trained on Wednesday, suggesting his return may not be far away.
With Walman sidelined, rookie Alec Regula weathered alongside Nurse Darnell on the second duo against Calgary, while Evan Bouchard And Mattias EkholmAnd Brett Koulak with Ty Embersoncompleted the defensive corps.
Edmonton is hoping Walman’s absence doesn’t become a long-term problem, even though the defenseman appears to have already suffered at least one setback, according to early timelines mentioned by Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch.
The timing of the injury comes just days after Walman signed a seven-year, $49 million extension with the Oilers. The deal solidified his status as a long-term piece on Edmonton’s blue line after a stellar 2024-25 campaign in which he scored 40 points in 65 games and averaged nearly 23 minutes a night.
Alongside Walman, the attackers Mattias Janmark And Zach Hyman staying out of the lineup – the latter on long-term injured reserve until at least November. While the Oilers’ roster puzzle remains a work in progress, Walman’s short-term absence has at least bought the team some time to make its next cap move.
Following: Roslovic’s decision shows Oilers won’t wait, which is bad news for Skinner
