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The Detroit Red Wings certainly made some interesting moves over the summer before the 2024-25 season. None of these moves were more surprising than the trade of Jake Walman to the San Jose Sharks, however. Detroit attached a second-round pick to Walman in the deal with San Jose. Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman addressed the trade at the 2024 NHL Draft in June. Even then, the way the trade went down hasn't sat right with fans.
Once a top-pairing defender in Hockeytown, Walman is playing a huge role with his new team. He has provided two assists in six games with the Sharks so far this year. And he leads all San Jose skaters in terms of average time on ice per game, according to ESPN. Recently, he opened up about the trade from Detroit, mentioning how surprising it all was.
“I was just like shocked, heartbroken,” Walman said, via The Athletic. “Thought that I was going to be there for a long time. I just thought I’d built such a strong foundation in Detroit, not just with the team but in Detroit. My heart was there, you know? I wanted to bring that success and passion to Detroit.”
Sharks' Jake Walman opens up on final season with Red Wings
Jake Walman is now a member of the Sharks. Whatever happened with the Red Wings is now in the past, no matter how he feels. In saying this, the San Jose rearguard did speak about his final season with Detroit. And he revealed that he wasn't 100% healthy during the 2023-24 campaign.
“I guess I can tell you now: I was injured,” he told The Athletic. “I was pretty badly injured, and I was doing everything I could to play through it. Trying to give myself a chance every day to be in the lineup.”
Walman stressed that he did not play through a significant injury. “It wasn’t like a broken bone where you can obviously see there’s something wrong. It was how I felt, like day-to-day, and just little things would piss it off,” he said.
In any event, he remained a valuable part of the Red Wings. Walman played over 19 and a half minutes a night in 2023-24. Furthermore, he scored 12 goals, placing him among some of the better-scoring defensemen in the league. To put in the effort he did only to be shipped off as part of a salary cap dump definitely hurts. “Obviously it stings a bit. It always will,” Walman said, via The Athletic.
The Sharks and Red Wings do not play until November 18 when Detroit travels West. Walman is moving on with his life and career as San Jose seeks its first win of the year. But Walman may head into that game with a chip on his shoulder nonetheless.
