Wahlstrom’s Role in the Bruins Lineup – The Hockey Writers Boston Bruins Latest News, Analysis & More

Life is full of full-circle moments. When the Boston Bruins claimed Oliver Wahlstrom off waivers from the New York Islanders on Saturday, it felt like just another one of those stories. Wahlstrom, a native of Portland, Maine, went viral as a nine-year-old for an insane shootout move that earned him national attention. That move just so happened to take place at TD Garden. Fast-forward to the present day and Wahlstrom is a member of the same Bruins team he grew up cheering for as a child.

As a prospect, Wahlstrom’s combination of size and elite shot made him an exciting player to watch. The hype would result in him being selected 11th overall in 2018 with the expectation that he would be a legitimate top-six scoring threat. Unfortunately, Wahlstrom’s career hasn’t yet panned out that way.

Despite flashes of his potential, Wahlstrom has struggled to consistently bring it all together at the NHL level. A player with his skill set—great size, skilled puck-work and a heavy shot—is better suited for a top-six role, but his performances with the Islanders didn’t justify that kind of ice time.

In 220 games with the Islanders, Wahlstrom would score just 36 goals and 71 points, including two goals and four points in 27 games this season.

It left both him and the Islanders stuck in a tough spot. He wasn’t a “bad” player, but he never lived up to his draft pedigree, which made the situation feel like a disappointment all around.

A Low-Risk Gamble for the Bruins

In Boston, Wahlstrom has a chance for a fresh start. The Bruins will always face their usual high expectations from fans and media, but Wahlstrom’s draft status won’t weigh as heavily in a place that didn’t use any draft capital to acquire him. Combine that with the fact that he’s making just $1 million this season and it becomes apparent that Wahlstrom is a low-cost, high-upside option for a team desperately searching for value.

With limited draft capital in recent years, the Bruins haven’t had as many opportunities to bring in NHL-caliber players on cheap deals. Claiming the New England native off waivers is a smart bit of asset management for a team trying to find a spark.

The ideal scenario? Wahlstrom rediscovers his scoring touch and earns a spot next to Brad Marchand and Elias Lindholm on the Bruins’ second line. A change of scenery and playing alongside talented teammates could be exactly what he needs to unlock his potential. Lindholm has started slow in Boston, but his last two games have provided reason for optimism. The same can be said for Marchand who, like many on the team, didn’t have the best start to the season compared to expectations. As of late, though, the team’s captain is on a seven-game point streak, scoring five goals and eight points in that time.

Adding in Wahlstrom and his shot could add another element to this line that could make it difficult for opposing players to deal with. The Bruins’ best line in recent memory featured Marchand alongside David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron; two-way responsibility was a big part of this, but the threat of all three players shooting at any given time also made it tough to defend. Wahlstrom certainly isn’t Pastrnak and it would be unfair to compare anybody to Bergeron, but the formula exists and with Lindholm down the middle and Wahlstrom on the right side, the Bruins would be wise to at least see if it unlocks any results.

Related: Getting to Know New Boston Bruin Oliver Wahlstrom

In his first practice with the team, however, Wahlstrom didn’t skate with the top six. Instead, the Bruins started Wahlstrom on a line with Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic, but interim head coach Joe Sacco made it clear that there shouldn’t be much stock put into the practice lines. If Wahlstrom were to play with Coyle and Frederic, he’d be joining a duo that has shown great chemistry for the Bruins over the last few seasons, which should help him ease into things easier than if the Bruins were trying out an entirely new trio of players.

As Sacco said, though, getting him into practice with this line doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s where he’s going to play.

In the event that Wahlstrom doesn’t work out at all with the team, the team will have lost nothing in trying out this experiment. It should also be mentioned that the claiming of Wahlstrom off of waivers doesn’t necessarily mean anything about their perception of Matt Poitras, Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov, the latter of whom was just sent down to Providence recently after a brief stint with the NHL club. Though Wahlstrom may be skating with the Bruins in Boston right now, it doesn’t mean that he’s immediately held in higher regard than any of those three players already in the system. The Bruins didn’t deliberately give up assets to trade for Wahlstrom, they just saw the opportunity to get a free asset with NHL size, experience, a top-tier shot and familiarity with the area as a Boston College alumnus.

A Fresh Start for Wahlstrom

For Wahlstrom, this is an opportunity to turn his career around in a familiar setting.

“I really don’t know if it’s sunk in yet. It’s a dream come true being back home where my family and friends live.”

When asked about what Wahlstrom is looking to prove in Boston, Wahlstrom had the following to say:

“I think getting back to my game,” Wahlstrom said. “I’m really excited to work with these guys and develop as a Bruin. I feel like my game can contribute here, try to find my offensive flair again, and keep playing that way.”

The Bruins have shown improvement under Sacco, at 9-4-0 since the coaching change, but this isn’t a one-player fix. Wahlstrom likely won’t be the catalyst that turns the Bruins back into a contender overnight. With the team trending in the right direction, however, he could end up being another piece that was missing from the puzzle

For Wahlstrom, the path forward is clear: prove he belongs, rediscover his scoring touch, and show that a fresh start in a familiar setting can make all the difference