Don’t expect Jake Walman to return to the Edmonton Oilers lineup any time soon.
The 29-year-old defenceman has missed the past six games with an undisclosed injury. He was expected to be nearing a return this week, but that no longer seems to be the case. Walman has still not returned to practice with the team and was absent from the ice on Monday morning.
After the skate, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch gave an update on Walman’s status, and it wasn’t the news that Edmonton fans were hoping for.
“Walman’s taking a little bit longer than we anticipated,” Knoblauch said. “It’s not going to be this week, might not be next week, it’s still going to be a while.”
Coach Knoblauch provides injury updates & post-practice comments as the #Oilers prepare to host the Sabres tomorrow night at @RogersPlace. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/4mqyzCor8o
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) December 8, 2025
That opens the possibility that Walman could miss the next eight Oilers games, putting him at risk of being out until after the Christmas break. That is not a small loss for this Edmonton squad, as the Toronto native has been one of their better top-four defenders this season.
This likely means that Alec Regula will continue to get a long look on the second pair with Darnell Nurse. Walman previously missed the first six games of the regular season, but Knoblauch did confirm that he is suffering from a separate issue this time around.
“[It’s] a different injury,” Knoblauch told reporters. “Walman’s just taking a while, that’s all.”
The Oilers coach also updated the status of forwards Jack Roslovic and Kasperi Kapanen. It doesn’t sound like much has changed on that front, with both players likely out until after Christmas, with a slight chance they return before then.
Noah Philp has also been out of the lineup with an injury. He was back skating, and Knoblauch said he could return to action by the end of the week.
None of the injured players is set to return for Tuesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres.