Amidst some offensive struggles, the Bruins have added some depth up entrance. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman studies (Twitter hyperlink) that Boston has claimed winger Oliver Wahlstrom off waivers from the Islanders.
It has been a little bit of a tumultuous tenure for Wahlstrom and the Isles in recent times. The 24-year-old was the eleventh total decide again in 2018 after exhibiting loads of offensive promise with the US Nationwide Group Improvement Program. He opted to show professional after only one yr at Boston School, and the hope was that he’d change into a dependable offensive participant for New York earlier than too lengthy.
Nonetheless, that by no means actually got here to fruition. Wahlstrom’s NHL profession received off to begin in 2020-21 when he picked up 12 objectives and 9 assists in 44 video games within the shortened season. He adopted that up with 13 objectives and 11 helpers in 73 video games the next season, a small uptick in total manufacturing however a notable drop in factors per recreation. He was considerably productive in restricted motion in 2022-23 when he had 16 factors in 35 video games, however issues went off the rails final yr when he was a frequent wholesome scratch and picked up simply six factors in 32 video games.
That led to some hypothesis that the 2 sides could possibly be parting methods, a perception that carried over to the summer time. As an alternative, the 2 sides labored out a one-year, $1M contract in late July. Nonetheless, whereas Wahlstrom was largely in a position to safe an everyday function in New York’s lineup this season, his taking part in time and manufacturing have each been restricted. His 10:04 ATOI is a profession low whereas he has simply two objectives and two assists in 27 appearances, resulting in his waiver placement on Friday.
It’s a low-risk pickup for the Bruins who’ve simply sufficient cap area to soak up Wahlstrom’s contract without having to make every other roster strikes. If issues go nicely, they’ll be capable of maintain him underneath membership management for 2 extra years though he will probably be arbitration-eligible. Boston is now on the most of 23 gamers on its lively roster.
