Oilers Place Walman on Injured Reserve, New Signee Joins Roster Without Cap Issue
The Edmonton Oilers placed defenseman Jake Walman on injured reserve Thursday, a move that provides temporary roster and cap flexibility as the team finalizes its early-season lineup, particularly following 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 can be retroactive to the start of the season, meaning he could return as soon as he’s 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, one other player would need to come off (IR or Minors) to be at 23 players.”
Initially expected to miss only the season opener, Walman has now been ruled out for Saturday’s game against Vancouver. The 28-year-old did practice Wednesday, suggesting his return may not be far off.
With Walman sidelined, rookie Alec Regula skated alongside Darnell Nurse on the second pairing against Calgary, while Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm, and Brett Kulak with Ty Emberson, rounded out the defensive corps.
Edmonton is hoping that Walman’s absence doesn’t become a longer-term issue, although the defenseman seems to have already suffered at least one setback based on 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 cemented his status as a long-term piece on Edmonton’s blue line following a breakout 2024–25 campaign in which he posted 40 points in 65 games and averaged nearly 23 minutes per night.
Alongside Walman, forwards Mattias Janmark and Zach Hyman remain 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 a little time to make its next cap move.
How much can David Tomášek produce for the Oilers in his first NHL season?
David Tomášek played in the OHL for the Belleville Bulls from 2013 to 2015, and in his final junior season,
Fast forward almost a decade, and the story comes full circle. Now teammates with Mangiapane on the Edmonton Oilers, Tomášek made his NHL debut last game against the Calgary Flames
Tomášek has also been given a golden opportunity on the Oilers, playing the net-front role on one of the NHL’s most lethal power-play units over the last few years, and it seems that, for the near future, that spot is his to lose. With that in mind, let’s explore a potential point projection for the 29-year-old rookie.
A Look at Tomášek’s Recent Games and PP Chances
Tomášek played in five preseason games, tallying two assists, and while he wasn’t necessarily lights out, the upside was there. He’s big, rangy, and skilled, and one aspect that stood out to me throughout training camp was his soft, veteran touches to keep plays alive. An example of that was his play to bat down the puck and set up
It seems the Oilers’ coaching staff noticed the upside as well. In the last preseason game against the Vancouver Canucks, we saw him take reps with Connor McDavid and company on the first-unit PP, filling the net-front role usually occupied by Zach Hyman, who remains out of the lineup. That said, he makes sense as Hyman’s replacement there — he has size, he’s a right-handed shot, and, as the SHL’s leading scorer last season, he has the instincts and know-how to put the puck in the back of the net.
In that last preseason game, his hard work paid off on the man advantage. He created a disturbance in front of the net, and on one play, just his presence while hanging out in the slot drew a defender to him, opening up a scoring chance that Leon Draisaitl capitalized on.
Fast forward to his first NHL game against the Flames. He mainly played on a line with Isaac Howard and Adam Henrique at 5v5. While that trio didn’t score, according to
On top of that, the former Belleville Bull played 3:37 minutes on the man advantage with the big unit, and once again, he didn’t look out of place. Sporting Nikita Nikitin’s old #86 on the back of his jersey, he was a menace in front of the net again, setting up plays, and nearly scored a couple of times off of tips in front.
Another thing that stood out is that, once again, his presence in the slot posed a threat. On Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ opening goal, he drew Flames’ defenders to him, opening the lane for ‘Nuge’ to receive the puck and bury it.
And to top it off, he cemented his name in future Oilers trivia for the question, “Who got the primary assist on Leon Draisaitl’s 400th NHL goal?” It was Tomášek, of course, who made a nice backhand play to Draisaitl on the man advantage, allowing him to bury his milestone goal, which was also the Prague native’s first NHL point.
Moreover, what was also intriguing was that on the Oilers’ PP opportunity in OT against the Flames, instead of Nugent-Hopkins going out on the ice with the three offensive studs, McDavid, Draisaitl, and
Overall, the fact that Tomášek has been given the PP opportunity, especially in OT, speaks volumes about the confidence the coaches have in him. Having said that,
Tomášek’s Power-Play Usage Reminds Me of Former Oiler Alex Chiasson
The way the 29-year-old is currently being used on the PP, due to his size, offensive instincts, good shot, and a knack for the net, reminds me of the attributes of former Oiler
Chiasson scored a career-high 22 goals and 38 points (15 points on the PP) back in 2018–19 in 73 games, and followed it up with 24 points (13 points on the PP) in 65 games the next season. Realistically, I don’t think Tomášek is cracking the 20-goal plateau (though I’d love to be proven wrong), but I feel he can put up similar points on the PP if he stays in that spot throughout the season. Given that, in the hypothetical situation Tomášek plays in all 82 games and maintains his spot on the PP, I’d feel he’s capable — based on Chiasson as the net-front comparable — of putting up at least 14 points on the man advantage.
Now, what about his 5v5 point production? I feel he’s capable of putting up points at 5v5 similar to what Adam Henrique (17 points at 5v5 last season) and Mattias Janmark
If he puts up, say, 15 points at 5v5 and you add 15 power-play points to the equation, I’d feel a 30-point season (15G, 15A) is attainable for the Prague native, which would replace Corey Perry’s point production from last season.
That said, the NHL season is long and unpredictable. Tomášek could go through a slump or even risk not sticking with the big club. Still, the opportunity in front of him is huge. If he can reach around the 30-point mark and continue posting positive analytics, driving play, and contributing effectively at both ends, the 29-year-old’s signing could turn out to be a real home-run signing.
