SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks defenseman Jake Walman was surprised at the way his time with the Detroit Red Wings ended last summer. But he also harbors no ill will toward the Red Wings organization as he returns to Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday for the first time since being traded to San Jose last June.
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“It’ll be nice to be in a familiar place, and a lot of good memories will probably be flowing,” Walman said Monday before the Sharks left for Detroit ahead of Tuesday’s game. “I’m sure it’ll be a happy time and a lot of smiles for me, seeing guys I know, seeing people from the city that I know.”
In perhaps the most lopsided trade of last offseason, the Sharks acquired Walman and a 2024 second-round draft pick from Detroit for future considerations, as the Red Wings needed to clear cap space to get forward Lucas Raymond and defenseman Moritz Seider under contract. Raymond would sign an eight-year, $64.6 million deal, and Seider inked a seven-year, $59.85 million pact. Walman is in the second year of a three-year, $10.2 million contract with a $3.4 million cap hit.
Walman told local reporters in July, roughly two weeks after the trade, that he was “a little bit shocked” by the deal since his name hadn’t been bandied about in any rumors. A recent report by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli indicated that Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman didn’t necessarily shop Walman around before consummating the deal with the Sharks on June 25.
It was a good thing for the Sharks, as Walman leads all of the team’s skaters in average time on ice (22:49) and all defensemen with 26 points in 32 games. In the second period of Saturday’s game with the Minnesota Wild, a 3-1 Sharks loss, Walman had the secondary assist on William Eklund’s ninth goal of the season.
Saturday’s game was Walman’s first since Dec. 21, as he missed eight games with a lower-body injury.
Walman, 28, spent the first 57 games of his NHL career with the St. Louis Blues before he was traded to Detroit in March 2022. In 145 games with the Red Wings, Walman had 43 points in 145 games but never had an opportunity in Detroit like the one he’s received in San Jose.
“Good trade, right? He’s been noticeable when he’s in our lineup, and when he’s not, we miss him,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Walman. “He’s been important for us. Last game, he helped us break out pucks and close in the defensive zone. There is obviously some offense to his game. So he’s been a good piece.”
“It’s a new opportunity,” Walman said. “Can’t change what happened in the past, but take the positives from it. I’m really working towards building myself as a piece here. That’s the biggest thing, building with this team. There’s so much excitement coming in the near future, and I’m just excited to be a part of it.”
As of now, Walman is one of four veteran Sharks defensemen signed through next season.
“He’s got a personality. He’s got some swagger about himself,” Warsofsky said of Walman. “He knows he’s an elite skater. He knows he can make plays, he wants the puck on his stick, and he’s got a personality and a swagger to back it up.
“He’s grown a lot since he’s been here, as far as on and off the ice and where his game is trending. So he’s been a big piece to that room and having that swagger that we need to play with.”
Part of that growth might be his toned-down celebrations.
Walman has five goals this season but has yet to flash the “Griddy” dance celebration in San Jose that he showed off in Detroit. He did the dance twice last season, both after scoring game-winning goals – one in overtime against the Montreal Canadiens and another against the Vancouver Canucks on an OT penalty shot.
Might Red Wings fans see the return of the Griddy if Walman scores against his old team?
“I don’t know. I’ve got to change up the celly or something,” Walman said. “I don’t know. My Griddy days might be over.”
“No, they’re not,” Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun said with a smile after overhearing Walman.
“Just focusing on other things,” Walman continued. “Being as good as I can wherever I’m at.”
