Unless the Islanders are going to get a sure starter back for Oliver Wahlstrom, flipping him for a fringe NHLer creates more questions than answers.
Unless the Islanders are going to get a sure starter back for Oliver Wahlstrom, flipping him for a fringe NHLer creates more questions than answers.
The New York Islanders were active on July 1, signing forward Anthony Duclair and bringing back defenseman Mike Reilly.
After those two moves, the Islanders have $900,000 in available cap space, fielding a roster of 20 players.
Because of their limited cap space, the Islanders can only afford to bring back one of their restricted free agents.
That one RFA likely to be back is forward Simon Holmstrom, who received a qualifying offer worth $874,125.
The other two NHL RFAs to receive qualifying offers were Ruslan Iskhakov and Oliver Wahlstrom, two forwards who are likely to leave the organization.
Iskhakov, although not confirmed, seems to be heading to the KHL after being named an AHL All-Star in back-to-back seasons, getting just two games at the NHL level.
Wahlstrom, who never lived up to expectations on the island, filed for arbitration last Friday after general manager Lou Lamoriello shared with us in Las Vegas that they'd look for an opportunity for him elsewhere.
The Islanders don't want to give Wahlstrom away for free -- understandably so.
There are other RFAs around the NHL who are unhappy with their situations, like Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson and Los Angeles Kings forward Arthur Kaliyev.
Both received qualifying offers from their respective teams, with Robertson's worth $813,750 and Kaliyev's worth $874,125.
It's possible that the Islanders could flip Wahlstrom for one of those players, but how does a flip help the Islanders?
Hypothetically, if one of those two were acquired in a Wahlstrom trade, the Islanders would find themselves over the cap.
Would the Islanders value one of those two over Hudson Fasching, a 28-year-old depth forward who has one year left at $775,000?
Even if the Islanders were to move Fasching or place him on waivers and bury his contract in the minors—if he went unclaimed—they still wouldn't be cap-compliant.
If Robertson is coming over for Wahlstrom, the Islanders will be over the cap by $12,875. If it's Kaliyev, the Islanders will be $73,250 over the cap.
Not only would the Islanders still need to make another move, but they'd also still only be able to field a 21-man roster.
Since Lamoriello walked through the Northwell Health Ice Center doors in the summer of 2018, the Islanders have never started a season without a maxed-out roster.
Could the 2024-25 season be the first?
What makes the most sense for the Islanders, cap-wise, is to move Wahlstrom for a pick or package him in a bigger deal like we saw when Anthony Beauvillier was thrown into the Bo Horvat deal.
No team wants to give away a former first-round pick for free.
But unless the Islanders are going to get a sure starter back—and they would likely have to give up more for that anyway, which in theory could help their cap situation—getting another depth-fringe NHLer who would be an extra forward would just create more questions than answers.