Oilers insider reveals injury update on Jake Walman after setback

Walman suffered an injury after just one preseason game, and missed the rest of Oilers training camp. He was expected to return by Game 1 of the regular season, but suffered a setback that's held him out even longer.

Fortunately, Oilers insider Bob Stauffer believes that Walman will finally enter the lineup this upcoming weekend. Walman has joined the team on their current road trip, and should play in either of Saturday or Sunday's games.

The Oilers never revealed directly what injury Walman was dealing with. Along with their wildly inaccurate return timelines, it seems Coach Knoblauch will continue a trend of providing very little injury details.

Edmonton will be thrilled to get Walman back from injury and into the lineup. With him playing, the Oilers have another high-end 2 way defender that has led the team to be ranked among the NHL's best.

Walman should be entering the lineup to play the second pair alongside Darnell Nurse. Soon after, Alec Regula is expected to return from injury and stay on the roster.

That could mean Ty Emberson or Troy Stecher's roster spots are in jeopardy when the team is fully healthy. They could be in a position to trade away a depth defender for a draft pick in return.

When Walman returns for one of the Oilers' games this weekend, the team will get a lot stronger on the blueline - and will have to make a difficult roster decision.