New York Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom came into camp ready to go, or so it seemed. Now, he will serve as a scratch for a third consecutive game.

New York Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom came into camp ready to go, or so it seemed.

The now 23-year-old was having the best start to a season of his short career before an ACL injury ended his 2022-23 campaign in late December.

In 35 games for the Islanders, Wahlstrom scored seven goals with nine assists, around a 16-goal, 21-assist pace over an 82-game season. 

It was a rather difficult six months of rehabbing while the Islanders continued their season and made the playoffs. 

The rehab continued into the summer months, but getting back on the ice was a massive thing for Wahlstrom. 

"My summer started in December," Wahlstrom said at his end-of-the-season media session. "I'm super excited to skate. I mean, it's going to be awesome. But like I said, I'm 22 years old, and I already put on a bunch of muscle, and I'm super excited to get going with the boys again next season. 

"So I'm gonna do everything I can this summer, and I know I'm going to be ready for training camp."

The restricted free agent did sign his qualifying offer in the summer, a one-year deal worth $874,125, per CapFriendly. 

"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," Wahlstrom told The Hockey News. 

Here's more on that conversation:

Wahlstrom entered training camp with a newfound mindset, a "f--- it" attitude as he realized, dealing with the injury, that he could never take anything for granted in this sport again.

"I'm not taking this game for granted anymore," Wahlstrom told THN. "I'm not going to be too hard on myself. I'm just going to have fun and play because I realized when you take this game away from me, it's tough. My mind is completely clear this year, and I'm super excited to get my game back."

Although "completely" healthy and in the right mindset, Wahlstrom struggled during preseason play.

He had issues readjusting to the speed of the NHL game, and after a few preseason games, it seemed that he wasn't going to be in the starting lineup for Lane Lambert.

With Wahlstrom not being placed on Long Term Injury Reserve last season or to start this season, he is ineligible to go to Bridgeport and play in games as he continues to play catch-up.

Players on LTIR must miss 10 games and 24 days. 

The Islanders didn't place Wahlstrom on LTIR last season, just IR, because LTIR negates any possibility of accruing salary cap space ahead of the trade deadline.

With the Islanders being as cap-strapped as they were, LTIR clearly wasn't an option they were comfortable with. And with the cap barely going up this summer and the Islanders still in a financial jam, having the ability to accrue cap space for the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline is of great importance. 

So, with games not an option for Wahlstrom, he has been staying on the ice for a good 45 minutes to an hour after his teammates leave, working with skills coach Troy Stevens. 

Ahead of last Saturday's season opener, in which Wahlstrom was an extra, he gave us an update on how he's feeling. 

"I feel like I'm pretty good. I feel like I'm there," Wahlstrom said. "That said, it's important now to keep going, keep getting my leg bigger and working from there. That's that's the main focus right now."

Not playing is tough on the young kid, but Wahlstrom knows that he just has to continue to do what he's doing.

There's no other option. 

"It's tough, obviously, but it's just about my body, what I can do to be a good pro and making sure the knee's good, everything's good, my game's good, and getting back a few little things in my game," Wahlstrom said. "So that's, that's what I'm focused on right now."

Wahlstrom added that he felt he could play in an NHL game right now and be effective.

Lambert said ahead of the season opener that if he needed Wahlstrom, he could play, but it was clear that the need wasn't immediate. 

"Yeah, he's close. And if we needed him, he could play," Lambert said. "It's a situation where he's no different than Gauthier or Bolduc (the other two extras to start season). It's an 82-game season. It's a long season, so keep that in mind. Everybody just has to keep working. He's been doing that."

Over the last week, Wahlstrom has continued to skate with Stevens after skates, cycling into line rushes on Jean-Gabriel Pageau's right, and has had some practice as the one-time option on the second power-play unit during team skates. 

The Hockey News asked Lambert what he had seen from Wahlstrom after Thursday's practice. 

"His opportunity will come, whether that's tomorrow or the next day or whenever it might be," Lambert said. "I think his attitude and his movement, his foot speed, things like that...everything is getting better and trending upward."

Now, the question is, when will Wahlstrom play?

The Islandes are 2-0-0 out of the gate as they head into their Friday night matchup with the New Jersey Devils before a quick turnaround Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres.

If the Islanders beat the Devils and remain undefeated, Lambert has zero reason to change his lineup. That's the same thing if the Islanders take care of business on both ends of the back-to-back.

After the back-to-back, the Islanders host the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night. 

Points early in the season may count just as much as points in March or April, but the points later in the season are much harder to earn, given the wear and tear. 

Lambert is going to ice the team that gives New York the best chance to garner points, and it's clear that Wahlstrom right now isn't a player that he believes is 100 percent ready to go.

Until he is, the Islanders have strong depth options like third-line starter Hudson Fasching and extra forward Julien Gauthier, who are able to bring 100 percent on a nightly basis. 

Now, if Wahlstrom does get into a game in the near future, whether you believe it's fair to him or not, there's little room for error, especially if he isn't coming into the lineup as an injury replacement.

After not playing since late December in a game that counts, rust will certainly be a factor. But the goal for Wahlstrom and the need for the Islanders is for him to be effective enough to overcome that rust.

Wahlstrom's ability to do that will be a reason he remains in the lineup, but if he struggles to be effective and the Islanders have stronger options, back to an extra, he will go.

There's no question Wahlstrom's potential and him living up to that potential makes a world of difference for the Islanders. 

Wahlstrom could be that elusive sniper the Islanders have been longing for despite his clear focus on becoming a two-way power forward. 

Regardless of what Wahlstrom is defined as, as a player, he has an elite shot that should be good enough to deposit 25-30 goals. 

The problem that held Wahlstrom back under Barry Trotz was his two-way game and understanding of the system in place.

The positive news for New York is that Wahlstrom showed signs before his injury that he understood what little things needed to be done in all three zones. 

Now it's about Wahlstrom putting all the pieces together and being that reliable forward that Lambert can trust on a night-to-night basis, starting with his first game of the season, whenever that may be.