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‘Tough Sell’ — 2 Oilers Players Land on 10 Worst NHL Contracts List
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- ‘Tough Sell’ — 2 Oilers Players Land on 10 Worst NHL Contracts List
'Tough Sell' — 2 Oilers Players Land on 10 Worst NHL Contracts List
Building a Stanley Cup contender requires more than elite talent. Every long-term contract has to justify its place on the salary cap, especially when a franchise is investing heavily in a championship window.
The Edmonton Oilers have assembled one of hockey's strongest cores, but recent contract evaluations suggest not every investment is aging the way the organization would have hoped.
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This discussion has temporarily shifted from roster construction to financial value, as two Oilers players have found themselves on an unwanted league-wide list.
Jake Walman , Trent Frederic Land on NHL's Worst Contracts List
The Athletic's Dom Luszczyszyn placed Trent Frederic and Jake Walman among the NHL's ten worst contracts entering the 2026-27 season, pointing to declining production, lengthy commitments, and the difficulty of carrying expensive supporting players around a superstar core.
Frederic, a forward, and Walman, who handles the blueline, saw their contracts criticized for creating long-term cap concerns rather than long-term stability.
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Frederic's seven-year $30,800,000 contract, carrying a $3.85 million cap hit, received one of the harshest evaluations in the rankings, placed 6th. After producing only seven points in 74 games last season, Luszczyszyn projected the deal at -$22 million in surplus value with only a 5% probability of generating positive value.
Explaining why the contract ranked so poorly, Luszczyszyn wrote , "Frederic was a real drag at five-on-five. His contract now feels like a complete anchor where he's being paid nearly $4 million to be basically replacement level."
He acknowledged that Edmonton believes Frederic could rediscover the form that once made him an effective third-line contributor but added, "A new coach and more opportunity could get Frederic back on track, but for now that's a tough sell after his performance over the past two seasons."
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman and Edmonton Oilers forward Trent Frederic.
Walman wasn't far behind, ranking 7th. His newly signed seven-year, $49 million extension was assigned an estimated -$23 million surplus value and only a 13% chance of turning into a positive-value contract.
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Luszczyszyn noted that Edmonton's decision looked reasonable after Walman's outstanding finish to the 2024-25 season and playoff run.
However, he argued that inconsistency has followed the defenseman throughout his career, writing, "The level he showed in 2024-25 looked truly high-end. The problem is how erratic Walman's annual output has been over the past four seasons."
He added that Walman "played far below that level in 2025-26," while stressing that "the defense needs to be cleaned up after a difficult year."
The Oilers project to enter the season with just over $4.7 million in cap space while continuing to devote significant money to Leon Draisaitl , Connor McDavid , and existing obligations such as Jack Campbell's buyout.
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For a team built to compete for the Stanley Cup every season, finding value throughout the lineup is just as important as star power.
If Frederic and Walman rebound, these contracts could eventually look much different.
If they don't, the Oilers may find themselves paying premium prices for production that falls well short of expectations.
