The Islanders have avoided an arbitration hearing with winger Oliver Wahlstrom, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. They’ve settled on a one-year deal worth $1MM. The deal was made official shortly after Friedman’s report.
Wahlstrom, 24, is coming off a difficult pair of seasons in which injuries have cost him more than half of each campaign. The 2018 11th-overall pick played just 32 games in 2023-24 and was rendered completely ineffective offensively, managing just two goals and four assists for six points. His 11:04 average time on ice was his lowest since his first taste of NHL action back in 2019-20 when he received a nine-game trial.
As PuckPedia points out, the Islanders now have no room for error financially. They have exactly $0 in cap space with a roster size of 22. As things stand, they won’t have the flexibility to have top international free agent signing Maxim Tsyplakov start the season in the NHL without a cost-shedding move.
Wahlstrom now enters the ultimate prove-it season. Set to be an arbitration-eligible RFA again next summer, he risks being non-tendered and reaching UFA status early should he fail to establish himself as a player capable of shouldering top-nine NHL minutes.
It’s been a much more difficult development path than anyone anticipated for Wahlstrom, who was widely regarded as a top-10 talent in his draft year after erupting for 48 goals, 46 assists and 94 points in 62 games for the U.S. National U18 Team. The right-winger has size to go with his skill at 6’2″ and 205 lbs, but he’s never been able to put it all together since turning pro. His lone fully healthy season came in 2021-22 when he was still a bottom-six depth piece at best, with 13 goals and 24 points in 73 games.
Wahlstrom’s career possession impacts have been average, and he struggled to control play in more defensively-inclined usage this season. The Isles’ cap crunch does give him a golden opportunity to fight for top-six minutes coming out of training camp, though, potentially in a second-line role alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri if they can’t afford to roster Tsyplakov. A strong start will be key for Wahlstrom in securing his NHL future, whether it comes on Long Island or elsewhere.
His arbitration hearing was slated for August 1.
As a Ranger fan, that’s a steal
“As a Ranger fan” is not the qualifier that you likely think it is. That said, your clan is very amusing.
As an NHL anything that’s a steal