If you were watching Game 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, you know things got weird. Fast. The Edmonton Oilers were taking a beating on the scoreboard against the Florida Panthers, and usually, that's when the "extracurriculars" start. But Jake Walman? He took it to a level of pettiness that honestly belongs in a middle school hallway, yet it cost him a cool ten grand. The league didn't find it funny. On June 10, 2025, the NHL Department of Player Safety dropped the hammer, or at least the pocketbook equivalent of it, on the Oilers blueliner.
Let's be real: $10,000 is a lot of money to most of us, but for a guy making $3.4 million, it’s basically a very expensive dinner. Still, it’s the maximum the league can do under the current CBA.
The Water Bottle "Assault" and the Bench Brawl
The first fine was for something you don't see every day. In the second period, things got spicy near the Florida bench. Florida’s A.J. Greer apparently decided he needed a souvenir and swiped Walman’s glove, dropping it right into the Panthers' bench. Childish? Absolutely. But Walman’s response was pure "big brother" energy. He grabbed a water bottle and absolutely hosed Greer, along with the Florida bench and even broadcaster Brian Boucher, who was stuck in the middle.
The NHL officially labeled this "unsportsmanlike conduct." It cost him $5,000.
Honestly, it’s the kind of thing that makes playoff hockey great—and incredibly stupid at the same time. No penalty was called on the ice for the water spray, but the cameras caught everything. Walman later called it "gamesmanship," which is just hockey-speak for "I was annoyed and wanted to annoy them back." It didn't work. The Oilers lost that game 6-1, and the frustration was clearly boiling over.
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Roughing Up Matthew Tkachuk
The second fine came later in the third period. If there’s one guy in the NHL who knows how to get under someone’s skin, it’s Matthew Tkachuk. With about five minutes left in the game, a scrum broke out in front of the Edmonton net. Oilers defenseman John Klingberg had Tkachuk tied up—basically holding his arms so he couldn't move.
Walman saw an opening and took it.
He landed a series of gloved punches to Tkachuk’s face while the Panthers star was defenseless. The refs saw this one. They hit Walman with two roughing minors and a 10-minute misconduct. The Department of Player Safety followed up the next day with another $5,000 fine for roughing. That brought the total to $10,000 for the night.
Breaking Down the Numbers
- Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Water Spray): $5,000
- Roughing (Tkachuk incident): $5,000
- Total Penalty Minutes in Game 3: 140 (Oilers had 85 of them)
It was a total meltdown. You've got a team that was supposed to be chasing a Cup, and instead, they were chasing individual vendettas.
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Why This Still Matters in 2026
Fast forward to right now, January 2026. You might wonder why we're still talking about a fine from last summer. Well, Walman has had a rough go of it lately. He just returned to the lineup this week (January 13, 2026) after a long stint on the Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR). He's only played 17 games this season due to various ailments.
When a player like Walman, who is known for playing with an edge, comes back from injury, everyone watches to see if he’s still that same "pest." The Oilers just activated him along with goalie Tristan Jarry, and they need that grit back—hopefully without the $5,000 water bottle sprays this time. The Oilers' cap situation is always tight, and while the team doesn't pay these fines (the player does), the league keeps a very close eye on "repeat offenders."
Misconceptions About NHL Fines
A lot of fans think the team pays these fines. They don't. The money goes directly to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund. Another common myth? That the NHL picks these numbers out of a hat.
Basically, the $5,000 cap is written into the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). It’s calculated based on a player's salary, but it can't exceed that five-grand mark for a single incident. That’s why you see the "maximum allowable" phrase in every single NHL press release. Is it enough to deter players? Probably not. But it’s the only tool the league has short of a suspension.
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What the Oilers Need From Walman Now
Edmonton is currently fighting for playoff positioning. They don't need Walman in the press box or the penalty box; they need him on the ice. He's averaging over 20 minutes a game when healthy. The team moved Adam Henrique to LTIR to make room for Walman and Jarry, so the pressure is on.
If you're looking for actionable insights on how this affects your fandom or fantasy team:
- Watch the discipline: If Walman starts taking "retaliation" penalties again, his ice time will likely drop under the current coaching staff.
- Cap Implications: The Oilers are skating on thin ice with the salary cap (about $270k in space). They can't afford to lose players to suspensions.
- Emotional Control: Game 3 of the 2025 Finals showed that when the Oilers lose their cool, they lose the game.
The bottom line is that Jake Walman is a valuable piece of the Edmonton defense, but his $10,000 night in Florida serves as a reminder of how quickly frustration can turn into a literal cost of doing business. As the Oilers push toward the 2026 playoffs, staying on the right side of the Department of Player Safety is going to be just as important as putting the puck in the net.
Keep an eye on the Oilers' upcoming games against divisional rivals. These are the "trap" games where old rivalries flare up and guys like Walman are tempted to revisit their old ways. If he stays disciplined, the Oilers have a real shot at another deep run.