Article content“What a treat it is to see the money Stan Bowman saved on Connor McDavid’s sweetheart deal used on back-to-back deals on the worst contracts list. While the Frederic deal was baffling from the get-go, the Jake Walman extension deserves some leeway. The level he showed in 2024-25 looked truly high-end and he looked like a perfect fit within the Oilers system to close the season and in the playoffs. Walman played far below that level in 2025-26, enough to put him in No. The offensive tools are there for him to do so, but the defense needs to be cleaned up after a difficult year.”