Matthew Tkachuk Demands Oilers Terminate Jake Walman After Game 3 Punch, Files NHL Grievance Fans Call Ridiculous and Laughable

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are always intense, but Game 3 between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers took a dramatic turn no one saw coming. During a highly charged moment in the second period, Oilers defenseman Jake Walman landed a punch on Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk. What followed wasn’t just a scuffle or a penalty—it spiraled into one of the most bizarre off-ice reactions in recent memory.

Tkachuk, known throughout the league for being a master of agitation and mind games, took a completely different route this time. Following the game, he approached the Panthers’ management and reportedly urged them to lobby the Oilers’ coaching staff to terminate Jake Walman from the roster altogether. But he didn’t stop there. Tkachuk also filed an official grievance with the NHL, calling for a permanent league-wide ban on Walman, citing “gross unsportsmanlike conduct” and “irreparable damage to the integrity of the sport.”

The reaction? Hockey fans and analysts alike exploded with disbelief—then laughter.

It was a stunning reversal of roles for Tkachuk, a player whose entire career has often flirted with the edges of legality and sportsmanship on the ice. Here was a man known for throwing elbows, cross-checking at the whistle, running his mouth, and gleefully embracing the role of a villain—now playing the role of a victim and calling for lifetime punishment for a single punch. Not only that, he demanded the Oilers fire one of their defensemen mid-playoff series for a moment of playoff intensity. It was, in a word, absurd.

“It’s hypocritical to the point of being performance art,” one NHL commentator remarked on national radio. “This is Matthew Tkachuk we’re talking about. This guy has made a career out of playing on the edge and sometimes crossing the line. Now suddenly he’s Gandhi?”

The punch in question occurred during a scrum near the crease late in the second period. Tkachuk had just finished a shift where he laid two heavy hits on Oilers players and delivered a slew of post-whistle jabs. As tensions boiled over, Walman confronted Tkachuk, and in the ensuing chaos, landed a clean right to his jaw. Tkachuk went down but was back on the ice minutes later with no visible injury. Officials reviewed the incident and gave Walman a two-minute minor for roughing, deeming it within the realm of on-ice retaliation—a playoff staple.

But when the press caught wind of the grievance Tkachuk filed, things escalated into viral chaos. The documents, later confirmed by NHL sources, outlined Tkachuk’s belief that Walman “threatened the sanctity of professional hockey” and “engaged in violent and irredeemable conduct unbecoming of an NHL player.” Social media erupted. One fan tweeted, “This is like Draymond Green asking for someone to be banned for trash talk.” Another simply posted a video montage of Tkachuk’s most egregious career hits and captioned it: “Pot, meet kettle.”

The NHL Players’ Association, caught in the crossfire, issued a brief but telling statement: “We are aware of the grievance filed and are in communication with all relevant parties. We do not comment on individual player filings.” Behind closed doors, league sources say the grievance is being treated with skepticism, if not outright mockery. “It’s almost unheard of to call for a lifetime ban over an in-game altercation that was already penalized,” one NHL executive said. “This sets a strange precedent—if it’s even taken seriously.”

It’s worth remembering just who Matthew Tkachuk is in this league. A Hart Trophy finalist, a ferocious competitor, and one of the best agitators of the modern era. His playoff performances have been heroic, gutsy, and at times, borderline dangerous. In fact, during last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, Tkachuk broke his sternum delivering a game-saving assist—only to return and deliver more hits the next game. This is not a man who shies away from physicality. So why now, and why this?

Some believe it’s strategic. “It’s a mental game,” said a former NHL coach. “Tkachuk might be trying to rattle Walman or distract the Oilers’ defense corps. If Walman’s suddenly under a microscope or suspended, Florida gains an edge. He’s playing chess, not checkers—even if it looks ridiculous.”

Others aren’t so generous. “This is an embarrassment,” said a former NHL enforcer. “We used to settle this stuff on the ice. You don’t file paperwork like a courtroom drama because you got socked after poking the bear. You take a number and hit him back. That’s hockey.”

Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch declined to entertain the issue, saying, “We’re focused on the series. Jake’s a competitor. What happened in Game 3 is behind us.” When asked if Walman’s place on the roster was in jeopardy following Tkachuk’s demand, Knoblauch smirked. “Not remotely.”

Jake Walman, for his part, hasn’t publicly responded. Those close to him describe the defenseman as stunned by the reaction. “He thought he was just playing playoff hockey,” one source close to the Oilers said. “He’s not a goon. He’s never been suspended. This caught him off guard.”

What’s even more fascinating is how this bizarre request may backfire. Tkachuk has long enjoyed the grudging respect of both fans and foes. His brand was tough, unfiltered, annoying—but authentic. This stunt, if you want to call it that, chips away at that image. Some fans now see him as whiny or manipulative. Others just think he’s lost the plot.

In the middle of a grueling, physical series that has seen both teams take and deliver punishing hits, the idea of filing an administrative grievance over one of them feels tone-deaf at best and tone-deaf-and-hypocritical at worst.

And yet, this might all be exactly what Tkachuk wants. If his goal was to create noise, to grab headlines, and to plant seeds of doubt in the minds of Edmonton’s coaching staff and league officials, then mission accomplished. Whether or not Walman is disciplined, he now plays under a microscope. Every hit he throws in Game 4 and beyond will be scrutinized. Every whistle interaction could be exaggerated. It’s a psychological war, and Tkachuk, in his own twisted way, is trying to win it.

But the backlash is real and growing. In Edmonton, fans have already printed “Ban Me Too” T-shirts with Walman’s face on them. The Panthers’ own fanbase seems split, with many taking to message boards to express confusion, if not outright disappointment, with Tkachuk’s approach. “We love him,” one fan wrote. “But come on. This makes us look soft.”

As the league evaluates the grievance—which is unlikely to result in any serious punishment for Walman—attention shifts back to the ice. Game 4 looms large, and the temperature will be boiling from puck drop. Will the officials crack down early? Will Walman seek his own revenge, or try to avoid becoming the center of another PR storm?

And what about Tkachuk? Will he double down on the grievance narrative, or return to his bread-and-butter: being the most annoying, talented thorn in an opponent’s side?

Only one thing is clear: the NHL Playoffs just got even more chaotic, courtesy of a grievance so over-the-top that fans are still laughing. Whether it’s psychological warfare or a public relations misfire, Matthew Tkachuk has once again managed to make himself the story.

The only question left is whether that story ends in a handshake line—or another punch.