Should Detroit Try Bringing Back Jake Walman?

Pending free agent Jake Walman could be looked at as a potential option for the Detroit Red Wings next season.

The 2026 NHL Free Agent class has the potential to be the biggest in league history with some of the biggest names up for grabs. Barring a similar event to this year where all the top players re-sign, we could see a major shake up within the league.

Most hockey fans look to biggest names like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Artemi Panarin among others on the block and salivate at the idea of their team nabbing one of the league's best. For Detroit fans, there's a name to look out for in the bunch that could be a former Red Wing in defenceman Jake Walman.

The 29-year-old Toronto native has grown into a solid offensive defenceman with 50-point upside through a full season. His 0.61 point-per-game average this past season coupled with his 0.45 average from the Stanley Cup playoffs, Walman has shown he can provide more points than the average defenceman and could look to return to the team that took a chance on him in Detroit. 

After being drafted in the third-round of the 2014 NHL Draft, the St. Louis Blues hoped to get a Adam Fox-type blueliner with 60-70 point production but never saw his full potential and traded him to the Red Wings. Walman was traded, along with forward Oskar Sundqvist, and a 2023 second-round pick to Detroit for defencemen Nick Leddy and Luke Witkowski. 

Walman showed signs of being that offensive defenceman but failed to show it consistently as he produced some highlight reel moments yet only recorded 43 points through 145 games with the Red Wings.

The team would let him walk in free agency and Walman joined a San Jose Sharks team that was willing to give him every opportunity to succeed and he finally did. He would go on to put up 32 points through 50 games and give the Sharks a valuable trade asset that they didn't anticipate.

San Jose would go on to deal Walman to the Edmonton Oilers, where he would continue to find success with as he recorded ten points through 22 games en route to the Stanley Cup Finals. Walman has just one year left on his deal at $3.4 million per season and with the Oilers being tight against the cap, he could be let go. 

The chance to reinsert a player like Walman into a familiar place for him in Detroit could work as a solid addition into the top or second line pairing and could have him quarterback the second power play unit. He may not cost as much and could a difference maker on a team like Detroit that needs more offence after finishing bottom-11 in goals per game last season with a 2.87 average.

Walman will be able to insert more offence while also learning under Todd McLellan's new defensive system and could lead to him turning into a Ryan McDonagh-type defenceman.

The Nashville Predators defenceman has made a career out of consistently producing 40-45 points while also being good enough on the defensive end that he could also shut down opposing offences as a top pairing defenceman. 

The upside and intrigue of bring back Walman could be very high and is an option for the future that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman should consider for a playoff contending team in the near future.