The Detroit Red Wings have signed defenseman Jake Walman to a one-year contract extension, marking the end of the arbitration season.
The final arbitration case has been settled.
To close out the summer's slate of arbitration cases, the Detroit Red Wings and defenseman Jake Walman found common ground in their negotiations on Wednesday morning, agreeing to terms on a one-year contract extension worth $1.05 million.
The deal comes in as a one-way pact, and represents a concession on the Red Wings' part after they filed for a two-way deal ahead of their arbitration hearing. Now, no matter what, Walman will make the same amount of money regardless of whether he plays in the NHL or AHL.
Walman is a largely unremarkable defender at this stage of his career. The 26-year-old arrived in Detroit from St. Louis at the trade deadline as a part of the Nick Leddy deal and saw his usage skyrocket in 19 games with the Red Wings down the stretch, going from averaging a little over 11 minutes per night in ice time with the Blues to upwards of 17.
In his first full season of NHL action in 2021-22, Walman put up a respectable three goals and seven assists for 10 points in 51 games. That's about what you can expect from a borderline third-pair option, and the Red Wings clearly feel that Walman can at least provide them with the depth and even step into a top-six role in the event of injury.
With Walman now locked in, all of the arbitration cases from this offseason have been dealt with, closing the book on the futures of a very intriguing crop of young players for the coming season.