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Despite signing Oliver Wahlstrom to a one-year contract earlier this week, the New York Islanders are still expected to move on from the former first-round pick ahead of the 2024-25 National Hockey League campaign.
There were high hopes for the American when he was selected No. 11 overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, but the 24-year-old has struggled mightily to live up to them. He was futile offensively with the Islanders last year, chipping in just two goals and six points over 32 games.
Over his NHL career, Wahlstrom is at 34 goals and 67 points in 193 career games. The Portland, ME native was excellent for the United States National Team Development Program in 2017-18, scoring 22 goals and 45 points in 26 games while leading the USHL with a +30 rating.
But that success hasn’t translated to the NHL, and it’s no secret that the club is looking to move on from this player.
“It would still be a surprise, however, if Wahlstrom was on the opening night roster,” reported The New York Post’s Ethan Sears earlier this week. “Barring a substantive improvement in his play… a contract does not change the underlying reality that Wahlstrom being on the (Islanders) NHL roster is a long shot.”
Wahlstrom likely needs to have a top-six look in order to have success, and there isn’t much room in Long Island after the Islanders signed Anthony Duclair in free agent frenzy. Along with Bo Horvat, Mat Barzal, Anders Lee, Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson, there is clearly not a ton of space at the top of the forward group.
Islanders and Oliver Wahlstrom headed for a split
It seemed clear that the Islanders and Wahlstrom were headed for a split after he was a healthy scratch for every game after February 24. He played in the last game of the regular-season — which was a meaningless contest — and he has just never been part of Patrick Roy’s plans since the legendary goaltender turned coach was hired at the end of January.
Isles GM Lou Lamoriello also hasn’t been shy about his desire to move on from Wahlstrom. But it needs to be for the right price.
“He’s been working very hard all summer and if we can get him an opportunity [with another team], because it hasn’t worked out [we will], but we’re not just going to give him away,” said the executive, per Sears. “He’s still a hockey player. He, unfortunately, went through an injury which takes a long time to recover. I think he’s there. We’ll just wait and see.”
Wahlstrom tore his UCL about halfway through 2022-23, and he’s struggled in his recovery. On the games where he wasn’t watching from the press box, he was averaging just 11 minutes of ice time per game.
It will be interesting to see if New York can find any suitors for the former top prospect, or whether it will be back to the American Hockey League for Wahlstrom in 2024-25.
The Islanders were beaten in the first-round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes for the second consecutive time in 2024.
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Sharks, Avalanche swap forwards in trade
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Why as many as 100 NFL players are facing fines and potential suspension
There is not a bigger sporting event in North America than the Super Bowl, and tickets are only getting more expensive every year. There is also a ridiculous secondary market for tickets where seats sell for well above the original face value. It is usually fans or ticket resellers going for a quick profit. But as was reported on Friday, sometimes it can be players in the NFL looking to make a profit. According to multiple reports, including the Associated Press and ESPN, more than 100 players are facing fines and potential suspensions for selling their allotment of tickets to this year's Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs for above face value. Players are reportedly facing fines of one-and-a-half times the face value they originally paid for the tickets, while they are also prevented from purchasing tickets to the Super Bowl for the next seasons. The Associated Press obtained a memo from the NFL detailing the violation and investigation. That memo was as follows: “Our initial investigation has determined that a number of NFL players and coaches, employed by several NFL Clubs, sold Super Bowl tickets for more than the ticket’s face value in violation of the Policy. This long-standing League Policy, which is specifically incorporated into the Collective Bargaining Agreement, prohibits League or Club employees, including players, from selling NFL game tickets acquired from their employer for more than the ticket’s face value or for an amount greater than the employee originally paid for the ticket, whichever is less. We are in the process of completing our investigation into this matter, but the investigation has revealed that club employees and players sold their tickets to a small number of ‘bundlers’ who were working with a ticket reseller to sell the Super Bowl tickets above face value.” If players are not willing to pay the fine, they could be facing suspension from the league. It seems unlikely that any of the players — none of whom have been named, or their teams — would refuse to pay such a fine. It's also one of those moments where you can say, professional athletes — they're still normal people trying to make a quick buck. The most logical answer here is perhaps some of the players caught up in this are younger players who have not yet struck it rich on a big contract or perhaps even practice squad players who are not making top dollar.
Athletics' Nick Kurtz makes MLB history vs. Astros
Athletics rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz already had an impressive start to his career. Kurtz entered Friday having posted a .288/.360/.622 batting line in 265 plate appearances, hitting 19 homers and 17 doubles. Despite making his major league debut on April 23, Kurtz has been the A's most valuable player, leading the team with 2.6 bWAR. He appeared to be on the cusp of becoming the superstar the A's needed to sell the team to the residents of Las Vegas. That performance set the stage for what may have been the most impressive game for any rookie in major league history. Kurtz became the 20th player in MLB history to have a four-home run game and the first rookie to achieve that feat. Kurtz's performance also put the 2025 season into baseball history. Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez had a four-home run game on April 26, making this the third time that there have been two four-homer games in a season. That had happened in 2002 (outfielders Mike Cameron and Shawn Green) and 2017 (utility man Scooter Gennett and left fielder J.D. Martinez). Kurtz did not stop with those four homers. He was 6-6 in the A's 15-3 victory over the Astros, with a double and eight runs batted in. The favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, Kurtz put an emphatic stamp on an already impressive season with his barrage on Friday.
Former Eagles champion announces retirement from NFL
One veteran NFL defender is ready to trade the football field for the golf course. Former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks announced in a post to social media on Friday that he is retiring from the NFL. Hicks is calling it quits after 10 career seasons with four different teams. “I walk away with peace knowing I gave football all I had, and that the best is yet to come,” Hicks wrote in his post. You can see the post in full here. Now 33 years old, Hicks was a third-round draft pick by the Eagles in 2015. He spent the first four seasons of his career with them and was a member of Philadelphia’s Super Bowl-winning team in the 2018 campaign. Hicks later went on to play for the Arizona Cardinals, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Cleveland Browns as well. The former University of Texas star Hicks was one of the more versatile linebackers of his era, capable of playing all three positions (inside, middle, and outside). He tied for third in the NFL with five interceptions during the 2016 season and also later ranked third in the NFL with 150 combined tackles during the 2019 season. Hicks made 12 appearances in 2024 for the Browns but is now content with walking away from the game. He also dealt with a dangerous physical condition that required hospitalization a couple years ago and has thus decided to move onto his next chapter.
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