After he was involved in an altercation during Game 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, the NHL has fined defenseman Jake Walman of the Edmonton Oilers $5,000 for roughing and an additional $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The Oilers suffered a tough defeat in Game 3, losing to the Florida Panthers by a score of 6-1. The Oilers and Panthers also recorded a combined 140 penalty minutes, the fourth most in a game in the history of the Stanley Cup Final. Walman was the only player fined following the matchup, which also featured a major brawl between the two teams involving all 10 players on the ice, midway through the third period.
Why Was Jake Walman Fined?
NHL’s Department of Player Safety fined Walman the maximum allowable under the CBA for roughing — $5,000 — for his actions against Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk. He was also fined the maximum allowable under the CBA for unsportsmanlike conduct — $5,000 — for a separate incident involving the Panthers’ bench.
Walman’s punishment is the most significant one meted out to any of the players in Game 3. No suspensions or additional punishments are expected despite the numerous ejections and misconducts in Monday’s game in which Walman recorded just six penalty minutes.
Edmonton’s Jake Walman has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for roughing Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk.
Walman has also been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for unsportsmanlike conduct for an incident involving Florida’s bench.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) June 10, 2025
Towards the end of the second period (16:49), as was seen in a video that made its way around social media, Walman was captured squirting a water bottle towards the Panthers’ bench. “I obviously did that for a reason,” the defenseman said post-game, according to TSN, “It’s just gamesmanship, I guess.”
The fine for roughing came as a result of an incident that occurred at the 14:44 mark of the third period after he punched Panthers’ forward Tkachuk in a scrum in front of the Oilers’ goal. This scrum from the Oilers and Panthers also resulted in a combined 140 penalty minutes.
“If you got to take a punch in the face, if you got to take a slash in the face, a cross-check, a slash in the leg, whatever the case is, you got to do it,” Tkachuk said postgame when he joined the NHL on TNT crew as they reviewed the game.
The 29-year-old Walman has one goal and eight points in 19 playoff games this spring. He had just one goal and eight points in 15 games with the Oilers in the regular season after he was acquired from the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline. Walman is signed through next season with his contract having an annual cap hit of $3.4 million. Florida currently lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is slated for Thursday, and the puck drops at 8:00 p.m. EST.
