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Islanders re-sign Oliver Wahlstrom |
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The New York Islanders signed forward Oliver Wahlstrom to a one-year contract extension today, worth $874,125.
Wahlstrom is 23 years old and was selected 11th overall by the team in 2018. The winger scored seven goals and 16 points in 35 games this season, before missing the majority of the year with a lower-body injury.
To this point, Wahlstrom has been a steady top-nine forward, but really hasn’t emerged as a legitimate high-producing winger. His shot alone makes him a threat and we’ve seen him play with some bite, but the winger has yet to really establish a game that’ll make him stand out. Still in just his early 20s though, there’s a good chance we see Wahlstrom develop into a legitimate top-six winger. But this will be a big year for him.
With Bo Horvat and Pierre Engvall both now on long-term deals, along with Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson, Anders Lee and Kyle Palmieri as the likely bets to start the year in the top-six, Wahlstrom will need to fight to earn a larger role. His spot in the lineup could also be further complicated if Zach Parise returns.
The deal does come in lower than expected as well, with Wahlstrom accepting his qualifying offer. Despite his injury, I projected his value for a one-year deal to be $1.5 million at HockeyComparables.com.
It’s good value for a short contract given the team’s cap situation, but we’ll see if Wahlstrom is able to take another step next season.
PollMaker
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