The Athletic has live coverage of the 2025 NHL trade deadline. The Edmonton Oilers beefed up their defense on Thursday with the acquisition of Jake Walman from the San Jose Sharks. The Oilers sent their 2026 first-round pick — which they can move to 2027 if it is a top-12 pick — and forward Carl Berglund to the Sharks.

NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone after months of rumor and speculation. Deadline Day itself was a chaotic affair with multiple big moves. However, there were also some major moves before March 7th.

Jake Walman was traded to the Edmonton Oilers by the San Jose Sharks on Friday for a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and forward prospect Carl Berglund.

Walman’s workload should change in Edmonton, because the Oilers don’t need him to be their No. 1 D or play top minutes. Maybe playing a more manageable workload (and having more support) will help Walman clean up other areas of his game, like his zone entry defense.

Before Thursday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, the Sharks had already traded goalie Vitek Vanecek and center Nico Sturm to the Florida Panthers in separate deals. In February, San Jose sent forward Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci to the Dallas Stars, and goalie Mackenzie Blackwood to the Avalanche in December.

Sharks GM Mike Grier has pulled off one of the greatest moves of the season. The Red Wings have made some questionable moves in the past but perhaps none more so than trading a second-round pick to the Sharks to take Jake Walman's contract in exchange for future considerations (read: nothing).

The Oilers are finalizing a trade with the Sharks to acquire defenseman Jake Walman before the NHL Trade Deadline.

Walman got involved on the other side of the puck, too, laying out Mikko Rantanen with a huge open-ice hit in the dying seconds of the middle frame, to massive cheers from the Oil