Only one Islanders player filed for arbitration and that’s Oliver Wahlstrom. We’ll know his future soon.
Only one Islanders player filed for arbitration and that’s Oliver Wahlstrom. We’ll know his future soon.
New York Islanders restricted free agent forward Oliver Wahlstrom didn't accept his $917,831, filing for salary arbitration on July 5.
His hearing has been scheduled for August 1st:
At the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said that the team planned on qualifying Wahlstrom, but if there was an opportunity to get Wahlstrom an opportunity elsewhere, they would.
However, they weren't going to give the 24-year-old former first-round pick away for free.
We will see if a deal gets done before the start of arbitration.
For those who don't know, arbitration is when the team and the player's camp try to convince an arbitrator that the player is worth more than the qualifying offer.
It's unlikely that Wahlstrom would get much more than his QO, given his production history or lack thereof.
But maybe this is Wahlstrom's camp trying to speed up the process of finding Wahlstrom that new opportunity.
The Islanders don't currently have the cap space to keep Wahlstrom on the NHL roster if RFA Simon Holmstrom accepts his qualifying offer worth $874,125.
They only have $900,000 in available cap space.
Filing benefits Wahlstrom—if he isn't going to be with the Islanders—by allowing him to get acclimated to his new team and the surrounding area and work with potential new linemates before training camp begins.
It also benefits the Islanders, as now a second buyout window will open if Wahlstrom is still on the team by the time of his trial.
The Islanders didn't elect to go to arbitration with Wahlstrom, but that doesn't mean they didn't convince him to file.
The second buyout window lasts 48 hours and begins three days after the arbitration case concludes. It must be used on players who make more than $5 million.
Throughout his Islanders tenure, Wahlstrom struggled to consistently produce. Last season, he only played an average of 11:02, scoring two goals with four assists in 32 games.
Wahlstrom's development has remained stagnant under three different head coaches. Parlaying the growth struggles with an ACL injury has been tough on the 2018 first-round pick.
He played just 10 games after Patrick Roy took over behind the bench on Jan. 21.