Red Wings’ Steve Yzerman breaks silence on Jake Walman trade

Detroit Red Wings fans have been angry since Tuesday after some shocking trades. First, Detroit traded defenseman Andrew Gibson to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a second-round draft pick and a forward. The second deal saw the Red Wings trade Jake Walman to the San Jose Sharks in a salary cut.

General manager Steve Yzerman addressed the topic from the floor of the 2024 NHL Draft. And the Red Wings legend had a rather interesting answer when asked about the deal. Yzerman said he felt comfortable with Gibson returning, but that the Walman trade was simply due to roster and league circumstances.

“We were able to acquire — in the Nashville trade — a similar prospect, at least on our board, to Andrew (Gibson) in Jesse Kiiskinen and get a second-round pick. And then, it’s really hard to move money right now. I tried. Honestly, I tried. We had to move at least one contract to do some of the things we want to do. Unfortunately, that was the price we had to pay,” he said, via Detroit’s official YouTube channel.

More information on the Red Wings’ Jake Walman trade

The Walman trade was certainly a surprise. The former Red Wings guard established himself last season as one of the best duo defenders in Detroit with a 202-23 record. He formed a reliable partnership with Mortiz Seider on the blue line. And even though Walman didn’t live up to his 2022-23 form, he was still a solid defender with a pretty solid salary.

Steve Yzerman’s decision to transfer Walman, as well as his silence on the matter, has sparked much speculation. Many believe the deal is part of a larger plan for Detroit. Yzerman seemed to confirm this by discussing the need to move a contract on Friday. But it seems like the Walman trade itself came out of nowhere.

The Red Wings reportedly didn’t shop Walman, according to Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside. Additionally, Shapiro notes that teams around the league would have offered an asset in return if they knew the defenseman was available. Shapiro said the Sharks were “pleasantly stunned” when Detroit offered to include a second-round sweetener in the deal.

It remains unclear exactly why Yzerman assigned a negative trade value to Jake Walman. Perhaps there is something more at play that is not entirely clear at the moment. Regardless, the Red Wings took home nearly $3.5 million in salary, positioning themselves to make a big move during the NHL free agent market on Monday if they so choose.