Stefen Rosner and Rachel Doerrie of The Hockey News discuss New York Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom as he has signed his qualifying offer. New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/oliver-wahlstrom-new-york-islanders-lane-lambert-acl-injury] forward Oliver Wahlstrom [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/oliver-wahlstrom-new-york-islanders-lane-lambert-acl-injury] was on pace for a career season in 2022-23 before an ACL injury put him on the shelf for the entirety of the second half and the postseason. The injury could not have come at a worse time, as Wahlstrom was in the final year of his entry-level contract. As a restricted free agent, the Islanders tendered a qualifying offer to Wahlstrom, a one-year deal worth $874,125. For reference, the Islanders offered RFA Kieffer Bellows a 1-year deal worth $1.2 million last summer. Wahlstrom wasn't arbitration-eligible, but that didn't mean his agent Pat Brisson couldn't negotiate a longer-term deal or a higher AAV on a one-year deal. Although we don't know the extent of Brisson's conversation with Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello, Wahlstrom accepted his qualifying offer on July 17. Mr. Brisson has not returned The Hockey News' inquiry for comment. We caught up with the Islanders 23-year-old forward to get his thoughts on his newest contract. While the salary seemed low, the s the term of the contract was the bigger standout. From the Islanders' standpoint, it's understandable why they wouldn't want to commit long-term to a player coming off a significant knee injury, who hasn't lived up to his potential just yet. But, at the same time, if the organization still believed that Wahlstrom could be the top-six, two-way sniper they've been longing for, a short-term deal may have made sense in the long run, especially if Wahlstrom were to pop off in 2023-24. Wahlstrom said there were limited conversations about anything outside of a one-year deal. "Honestly, not really. I kind of knew what I was gonna get," Wahlstrom told The Hockey News. "There's some things you'd like, but at the end of the day, I missed half a year, and you got to look at it from both sides. "Obviously, I was rehabbing all year." READ MORE: Islanders Wahlstrom on Rehab Process [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/oliver-wahlstrom-new-york-islanders-rehab-knee-injury-exclusive] That didn't mean he was overjoyed with the result. "It was tough to hear that, just one year," Wahlstrom said. "But at the end of the day, I was happy with the Islanders and happy to come back." Again, the reality of Wahlstrom's situation was that he had no leverage. "I was hurt all year, and it's good for me to get moving again and play some games, so I knew what I was going to get, and I just moved from there," Wahlstrom said. "I can't really look into it." It's one thing to enter the final year of a contract when a team still holds your rights come season's end. It's a completely different thing when a player can hit the open market after a season or earn a longer-term deal from New York. But his next contract isn't what's fueling Wahlstrom in 2023-24. "The contract stuff doesn't really fuel me," Wahlstrom said. "What's fueling me is my health, how I'm feeling, my knee, how I treated myself the last nine months, that stuff. "The contracts are external things that you can't really focus on. You just got to focus on the internal stuff and go from there. I'm happy to be back." Wahlstrom came into camp with the right attitude. He's bringing a "F-it" attitude, that he will go out there and do what he has to do to be successful. He's spoken so often about how hard he's worked since getting hurt, strengthening muscles and areas of his game that he would never have had the time to focus on. It's been a slow start to Wahlstrom's preseason play, which shouldn't be a shock given the severity of his injury. But as we inch closer to the season, Wahlstrom needs to start proving why he belongs in the lineup because the competition amongst the Islanders depth isn't just heating up. It's on fire. Wahlstrom needs to use that as added fuel to get hot if he wants to be skating when the Islanders host the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 14 to kick off the 2023-24 regular season.
