NEW YORK -- Jake Walman was courteous with his answers and patient with his time, but he really had somewhere to be Tuesday afternoon. The Edmonton Oilers defenceman was clamouring to go shopping.
It's not like his urge was inspired by the glitz and glamour of Fashion Avenue. No, his desire to find some new outfits was borne out of necessity.
"I haven't done laundry or anything yet," Walman said in an interview with The Athletic on Tuesday. "I'm actually going out to get some clothes from Lululemon."
There's a good reason Walman has run out of clean threads. There hasn't been much opportunity to put a load or two into a washing machine.
Walman is the newest Oiler, acquired from the last-place San Jose Sharks in a deal agreed to in principle last Thursday before being finalized just after the clock struck midnight Friday.
The Sharks were on a seven-game trip coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break, a schedule that saw them play five Canadian teams before stops in Buffalo and Denver.
Walman packed thinking he'd be gone for almost two weeks. It's like the tour around the NHL and North America is still going, considering he made his Oilers debut at home last Saturday and the team left for Buffalo the next day.
"A lot of guys on the trip, they knew they were getting traded, and they packed a bunch of clothes," Walman said. "I just packed for a Sharks road trip. That's still all I have."
Walman has another year on his contract. He never envisioned being moved to a new team.
"I honestly had no idea, but that's just how it works," he said. "I guess stuff changes on a dime in this business."
He knows all about that.
This was the second time Walman has been dealt in less than nine months. The previous time was when the Detroit Red Wings gave him away to the Sharks along with a second-round pick last June after he'd evolved into a 20-minute-per-game blueliner for them.
Walman had been nursing an injury down the stretch last season as the Red Wings tried to make the playoffs, a push that was ultimately unsuccessful. GM Steve Yzerman told Walman he needed to clear cap space. The defenceman was deemed expendable despite scoring 12 goals and mostly playing with Moritz Seider on the top pair.
He was "heartbroken" after that trade.
"I was a little bit shocked that they just threw me away," Walman said Tuesday. "That's how I felt. I was upset. I wanted to prove people wrong, at that point, the following year. I thought we were building something in Detroit, and I was going to be a part of it."
Walman can look at the good now. He probably wouldn't be an Oiler now if the Red Wings, still in the mix for their first playoff berth since 2016, had held onto him.
The Oilers were interested in acquiring Walman during the 2022-23 season but altered course when the Red Wings signed him to a three-year, $3.4 million AAV extension. The Oilers acquired Mattias Ekholm from Nashville instead.
The Oilers relinquished a 2026 first-round pick to obtain Walman last week. Oilers GM Stan Bowman felt he needed to dangle a premium asset because counterpart Mike Grier repeatedly said he wasn't interested in trading his top defenceman.
So, there's the inconvenience of living out of a suitcase and needing new clothes. There's the shock that came with the trade, too.
But being wanted by a contender is the most important thing of all.
"It says a little bit about the transition I've made in a year, and getting the trust from Stan to come and get me," Walman said. "It means a lot. I feel shocked, but obviously really excited for this opportunity. It's a different feeling. You know what (kind of) team you're joining."
Walman has mentioned several times over the last few days how amazing it is to play meaningful games. It's something he's longed for his whole career. He's played just one playoff game for his first NHL team, the St. Louis Blues, in 2021.
He's 29 with 254 games on his resume. It might seem like the Oilers are banking on a relative unknown, but that's not how Walman sees it.
"I'd like to say I don't have a ton of miles on my body," Walman said. "I'm probably just coming into the prime of my hockey career. I just feel good. All this work that I've done to this point has built up to this. With all the stuff I've gone through to get here, I just feel like I'm ready."
Playing in all situations as the No. 1 blueliner for the cellar-dwelling Sharks, and doing so capably, has helped Walman grow his game and his confidence.
He recorded six goals and 32 points in all situations, while recording 49 percent in all of Corsi for, goals for and expected goals for at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.
"I knew I'd be relied upon a little more (than in Detroit)," he said. "I had to prove it to myself that I can take those minutes and do well with them. The opportunity that I got helped me realize that I can do it at this level.
"Playing top lines every night, it was definitely great for my game. It was great for my career to have that little stretch there."
His duties haven't changed much with the Oilers other than that he's no longer the power-play quarterback like he was with the Sharks.
He played almost exclusively with Darnell Nurse in his sterling debut against the Stars. He basically split his time with Nurse and Evan Bouchard at five-on-five in Monday's follow-up performance, a loss in Buffalo.
Skating with new partners has allowed Walman to showcase his versatility. He's mostly played the right with Nurse, whereas he's skated on his more natural left side while alongside Bouchard.
Walman said he's tried to be "predictable" for them.
He's just trying to fit in wherever and however he can. He hasn't experienced playing with the Oilers' full assortment of defencemen because Ekholm and John Klingberg have missed the last three games with injuries.
"I'm really fortunate to have my name in there as one of the guys in that group," Walman. "As everyone gets healthy, it's an exciting group. We're just trying to complement the guys up front."
There's more that excites Walman about being an Oiler.
He had connections with a handful of his new teammates before he arrived in Edmonton. He's trained with Adam Henrique in past offseasons. He knows Nurse, Zach Hyman, Connor Brown and Max Jones. But his strongest relationship was with Connor McDavid. He played with and against McDavid in minor hockey in the Toronto area and recalls No. 97 stickhandling in arena hallways before games.
His friendship with McDavid was why he rooted for the Oilers while he watched their playoff run from afar last spring.
Walman aspires to be part of a similar run, one he hopes results in an extra victory and a Stanley Cup.
"That's the pinnacle of what every hockey player wants to do," he said. "I'm a competitor and I want to be there. That's the first thing I thought of when the trade happened."
He has a one-track mind. Known for doing his Griddy dance after scoring big goals, Walman said that probably won't be part of his arsenal with the Oilers.
"I'm more businesslike," he said, laughing. "That's my mentality. I might be done with that. Businesslike from here on."
All business on the ice, maybe. He just has to pick up some casual, athletic clothes first to wear off it.