Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jake Walman went viral for his griddy after a comeback win one week ago. And that moment perfectly encapsulates why the Red Wings are encouraged by his recent play.

The Red Wings obviously liked Walman prior to his joining the team. Why else would they insist on his inclusion in last March's Nick Leddy trade?

However, for as shrewd as Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman is, I doubt even he could have predicted this. Walman joined the team last year as a depth option for the most part.

The 26-year-old showed flashes of potential with the St. Louis Blues. He just couldn't consistently put it all together while with the Blues. Detroit provided him the perfect opportunity to figure everything out. And he's taken advantage of his.

Walman's 2022-23 season

Walman missed the beginning of this season due to shoulder surgery. He wasn't the only defenseman to miss the beginning of the season for the Red Wings. Offseason signing Mark Pysyk tore his Achilles shortly after signing his contract.

Shuffling pieces on Detroit's blueline opened up a spot for Walman upon his return. Robert Hagg went on injured reserve, and Steven Kampfer wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire.

In Walman's first month since returning, he played on the team's third pairing. However, it wasn't all smooth sailing. He found himself a healthy scratch on December 8 and he credits that as the spark that lit a fire under him.

Eventually, he found a good connection with Filip Hronek, who has come alive as of late for Detroit. Especially on the offensive end of the ice. Then came the overtime winner in Pittsburgh.

Detroit has put even more confidence in him since then. On Friday, the Red Wings put Walman on their first pairing alongside last year's Calder Trophy winner, Moritz Seider.

The biggest key

Walman has showed his ability to move the puck. Perhaps his most admirable trait, however, is his fearlessness when battling along the boards. And those battles usually result in the 26-year-old coming out on top.

“There's no doubt there's been some confidence growing with him,” Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde told the media recently. “We hope he keeps building on it and it's sustainable, because that's a real good sign for him and for us as a group.”

The confidence in his game is easy for all to see. He's more sure in his decisions, and there are no longer little mistakes that have hampered him in the past.

“He's taken out huge mistakes in his game,” Lalonde added. “You don't see the high risk in his game. He is the reason we're getting some good exits and stops in our defensive zone and the pucks coming out.”

Walman hitting the griddy at the end of an insane comeback victory made for a great viral moment. But in a way, that entire sequence encapsulates why he's receiving the trust and praise he is.

Prior to his goal in that game, Red Wings teammate Andrew Copp hit the post. The Penguins brought the puck back up the ice, and goaltender Magnus Hellberg made a huge save.

As Copp brought the puck back up the ice, Walman strayed from his defensive position and crashed the net. The other forward on the ice, Michael Rasmussen, stayed back.

Walman put the puck home and griddy'd his way up the boards as his teammates came out to celebrate. And in that moment, we saw the same confidence Detroit's coaching staff as seeing right now.

Crashing the net in overtime as a defensemen, getting into the right position, and scoring takes a lot of confidence. Hitting the griddy on another team's home ice after being down 4-0 at one point also takes a ton of confidence.

With this confidence, Walman continues to emerge as a legitimate NHL defenseman. And if he keeps it up, Detroit could have something special on its hands for years to come.