The Canadiens Should Have Claimed Oliver Wahlstrom

Oliver Wahlstrom was waived today. The New York Islanders cut bait with him while he is having a bad season, just two goals and two assists in 27 games. At 24, he needed a change of scenery, and the Canadiens could have given him a chance.

Wahlstrom has size and a great shot. He would have been a good player to pick up and he has played with Cole Caufield before on the U18 team. They weren’t together for a long time, but I think both of them would have complemented each other. There is some familiarity and some connective tissue.

Related: Cole Caufield Leads NHL in Very Specific Scoring Category

Anytime you can get a guy who should have been a good goal scorer, but things went south, is worth a shot. He did have double-digit goals in 2020-21 and 2021-22. Since then, there have been coaching changes and a lot of time on the fourth line and that’s not his game. At times, the Islanders were just trying to find a role for him instead of having him play to his strengths.

Instead, a division rival gets Wahlstrom, and he could end up being a valuable pick up sometime this season. He may have to go down to Providence to find himself.

A team like Montreal should take some chances like this. I don’t know why they didn’t but for Boston, it’s worth a shot and Canadiens fans may see him come into town later this season. Montreal averages 2.72 goals per game and Boston averages 2.48. Both are near the bottom of the league so far.