The Boston Bruins have been among the NHL’s most active teams this offseason.
They moved Linus Ullmark and spent a franchise-record $92 million in free agency on nine players, including a big spend on Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov to address significant needs in the middle of the ice and on defense.
Despite all of the moves made by general manager Don Sweeney this summer, the one that remains–aside from agreeing on a contract extension with restricted free agent goalkeeper Jeremy Swayman–is adding another goal scorer.
Plenty of players capable of putting the puck in the back of the net were available on the open market, but with obvious deficiencies elsewhere on their roster and only so much money to deal with, the Bruins chose to prioritize reinforcing their defense.
“The depth of our defense is the strength of our hockey club, and I wanted to make sure we had those foundational pieces in place,” Sweeney told the crowd on July 1. “I think this group, as a whole, we can tease a little more offense out of it.”
The Bruins are entering the season with a committee-based offensive strategy. Only David Pastrnak, one of their current roster members, scored more than 30 goals last season. While Pastrnak is a perennial candidate for the Rocket Richard Trophy, and the latest odds show him as a favorite to win it again, the Bruins will need to add some additional firepower if they want to go deep into the playoffs.
While the Bruins believe that internal contenders like Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov may advance, they remain unknown commodities. At this stage, the most of the top free agents have signed elsewhere, leaving only a few goal-scoring possibilities available. However, the Bruins might increase their offensive depth by dealing for a player with close links to the Boston area.
If you recognize the name Oliver Wahlstrom, it could be because you saw him score an incredible, spinning backhand goal in a Bruins mini 1-on-1 competition when he was nine years old in 2010.
Do you remember Oliver Wahlstrom's legendary lacrosse-style shootout goal during @TDBank_US Mini 1-on-1? pic.twitter.com/Ey2zACcYCn
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 11, 2018
Now a member of the New York Islanders, the New England native’s scoring ability remains a key component of his game.
Oliver Wahlstrom. Bullet. The Islanders win?? pic.twitter.com/zLVry2TOc2
— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) November 19, 2023
The only issue is that Wahlstorm has had little opportunity to exhibit it recently.
The Islanders selected Wahlstrom from Boston College with the 11th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft with the intention of making him a regular in their lineup as a sniper with Mathew Barzal. Instead, Wahlstrom’s career has been hampered by inconsistency, with little playing time within a crowded Islanders forward group.
In 193 career games, Wahlstrom has only 67 points, with 33 goals and 34 assists. Last season, he featured in only 32 games, producing a career-low six points (two goals and four assists) while recovering from a lower-body injury that necessitated surgery the previous year.
Wahlstrom, 24, signed a low qualifying offer last year as a restricted free agent and finds himself in the same situation today, with his arbitration hearing set for August 1. Despite the fact that Wahlstrom will most likely have limited bargaining power, the Islanders cannot afford to grant him a raise of any kind because they are so close to the cap with only $50,000 available.
The Islanders moving Wahlstrom appears to be the only viable solution, and the Bruins might have in a transaction that would cost them no more than the modest price of a late-round draft pick.
Of course, the Bruins’ primary concern is their salary cap, as they will most likely need to use the majority, if not all, of the remaining $8.64 million to sign Swayman. Adding Walhstrom will undoubtedly consume a small chunk of it, but the Bruins are not required to be cap-compliant until the first day of the regular season and can adjust based on training camp outcomes.
Overall, this is a low-risk, high-reward trade. Even if Wahlstrom does not make the squad, his presence in training camp will provide the atmosphere of internal competitiveness that Sweeney has mentioned. At best, the fresh start allows Wahlstom to reach his full potential, while the Bruins receive a guy with an elite shot on a discount contract.
It’s not the Bruins’ first choice and probably not one they want to utilize, but given the state of their roster, it’s as good as any other.
