Bruins claim a new winger off waivers
In obvious need of some additional scoring pop, the Bruins found their next attempted fix via the NHL waiver wire Saturday, with forward Oliver Wahlstrom claimed by the Bruins.
A 6-foot-2, right-shot right wing, Wahlstrom comes to the Bruins with two goals and four points, and 10:04 of time on ice per game, in 27 appearances for the Islanders this season.
Utilized in a bottom-six role for almost his entire NHL career to date, the Bruins are clearly hoping that the 24-year-old Wahlstrom gives the team some added scoring pop somewhere in the middle six.
And if there’s one thing to take potential comfort in for a Bruins team that’s converted to more of a shot volume mentality under interim head coach Joe Sacco, it’s the fact that Wahlstrom does shoot the puck, with 6.52 shots per 60 at five-on-five play this season, which would rank fifth-among all Boston forwards (minimum 200 minutes played, per NaturalStatTrick.com).
If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Wahlstrom’s been a local legend since he was nine years old, with an absolutely insane goal scored in a ‘Mini 1on1’ at TD Garden that went viral before going viral was a daily occurrence on the internet.
The Maine-born Wahlstrom has scored just 11 goals and 26 points in 94 games over the last three seasons following a career-high 13 goals and 24 points in 73 games for the Isles in 2021-22.
A first-round pick of the Islanders back in 2018, Wahlstrom has totaled 36 goals and 71 points in 220 career NHL games, and is on the hook for $1 million this season and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
