Jake Walman signs a new contract on Monday!

The Edmonton Oilers are having a very busy Monday.

After it was announced that the Oilers had pulled off one of the biggest signings in franchise history on Monday, re-signing Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid to a contract extension, they have now also signed veteran defenseman Jake Walman to a new deal as well.

It was National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman who first broke the news that the Oilers were working on a second deal today, with Friedman reporting that the deal was expected to be a 7 year deal with an average annual value and salary cap hit of $7 million per season.

Update: Oilers confirm the new deal is 7 x $7m.

Walman joined the Oilers via trade last season and was an immediate fit, playing a hard nosed style of hockey while also showcasing skills that make it clear he can also produce offensively. In his first 15 regular season games with the Oilers he had 1 goal and 7 assists for a total of 8 points. Walman would continue to play well in the playoffs, again employing a physical style of play against his opponents, and continued to produce the offense with 2 goals and 8 assists for 10 points in 22 playoff games last season.

Given some of the huge contracts we have seen handed out this offseason this seems like a very team friendly deal for the Oilers, and it's also a great deal for the player as well. Walman has struggled to find any kind of long term security in his NHL career and having a guaranteed contract for the next 7 years will give him that for the very first time.

I do wonder if McDavid taking significantly less money than he could have demanded today played any role in this team-friendly deal with Walman.

This really does feel like a win-win for both sides which of course are always the best kinds of deals for team and player.