SUNRISE, Fla. — With 11 games plus a thin shot at a playoff run left in the season before he becomes a restricted free agent, it does not appear as though Oliver Wahlstrom is at all close to regaining a spot in the Islanders’ lineup.
Even as head coach Patrick Roy has continued to promote competition in his bottom-six, with Simon Holmstrom set to be scratched for the second time in three games against the Panthers on Thursday while Matt Martin comes back in, Wahlstrom barely appears to be a consideration at the moment.
“I have nothing to complain about him. He’s practicing well, he works hard, he’s a super-nice guy,” Roy told reporters following Wednesday’s practice. “At this point, guys are ahead of him. That’s all it is. It’s nothing personal, I just go with what I think is the best lineup.”
In other words, Wahlstrom is currently the 14th forward on a roster where there is intense competition for spots 10 through 13.
Roy did give him an extended shot in the lineup upon taking over from Lane Lambert, but after playing nine consecutive games, Wahlstrom has been a healthy scratch since Feb. 26.
Even with the caveat of the major knee injury Wahlstrom suffered in December 2022, failing to stick under two different coaches in two different systems is not a good sign.
At this point, the question appears to be less whether he will return to being a lineup regular eventually and more whether the Islanders will extend him a qualifying offer at the end of this season or allow him to seek a change of scenery that looks as though it makes sense for both sides.
Semyon Varlamov will start in net on Thursday, Roy said, with the Islanders yet to decide on a starter for Saturday’s game in Tampa.
The tally of college and European signings by AHL Bridgeport is up to five after the organization announced a trio of new faces on Tuesday. Forward Matt Kopperund (Arizona State) and defenseman Cam McDonald (Providence) signed with the Baby Isles from the college ranks while defenseman Matias Rajaniemi did so from SaiPa in the Finnish Liiga.
They join Alex Jeffries (Merrimack) and Cam Thiesing (Ohio St), who signed deals last week, with Thiesing getting a two-year entry-level contract while Jeffries signed an amateur tryout offer.