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Nathan Walker claimed by Edmonton Oilers

By Ian Oland

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December 1, 2017 1:10 pm

Another blunder by the Capitals organization has cost the team more of its depth.

Capitals prospect Nathan Walker has been claimed by the Edmonton Oilers after being put on waivers by Washington on Thursday. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the news.

In a corresponding move, the Oilers placed right wing Iiro Pakarinen on waivers.

According to Isabelle Khurshudyan, multiple teams put claims in to try and nab Walker.

The claim ends Walker’s tenure in Washington just after receiving only 7 games from Barry Trotz. The team put five years into developing Walker, but failed to sneak the forward through waivers and back to AHL Hershey.

In late October, Trotz cited Walker’s wall play and his lack of penalty killing as the reason why he was a frequent bench. At the time, Walker was the team’s best possession forward (small sample size).

“I actually talked to Walks, different things about his role,” Trotz began. “He’s just like a young player. We talked about being really accurate on your wall plays, being a guy who brings energy all the time. You’ve got the speed, now we’ve got to make you a real productive player. He didn’t kill penalties in Hershey; he’s going to have to learn to kill penalties here and gain trust from us coaches, too. It’s something that we’ll have to work together with.”

Thursday, Trotz explained the decision to reporters as one that was mandatory to get the player to continue to develop.

“We looked at it and with people getting healthy and Nate wasn’t getting in the lineup,” Trotz said. “We’re not doing him any favors. You only build your game on the ice. Let’s see if he clears waivers.”

He did not.

In Washington, there is a big gulf between the team’s top six forwards and its depth on the bottom lines. Walker’s early returns suggested he could bridge that gap. Instead, he’ll go to Edmonton where he’ll get ice time, and could potentially help the Oilers during a season that has started woefully.

Walker is the first Australian to ever play in the NHL and was a fan favorite.

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