Sharks to sign former first-round pick to PTO contract

The San Jose Sharks will soon sign winger Oliver Wahlstrom to a professional try-out contract, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. The report was later confirmed by PuckPedia. Pagnotta points out that Wahlstrom will have an AHL deal to fall back on, should he not earn an NHL contract. That minor-league deal hasn’t yet been officially announced, and Wahlstrom remains an unrestricted free agent after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Boston Bruins at the start of the summer.

Wahlstrom played his first games outside of the New York Islanders organization midway through last season. After six years of failed attempts to earn an everyday role in the top-nine, the Islanders made the decision to place Wahlstrom on waivers in mid-December. He was claimed by the Bruins the next day, and stuck with Boston for the rest of year, even clearing waivers with the club in February. 

Wahlstrom split his time between the NHL and AHL, beginning with 16 games in Boston where he racked up two points and 28 penalty minutes in a bottom-six role. He looked much more electric in 26 games with the AHL Providence Bruins to close the year, netting 19 points and 14 penalty minutes in total.

But even in a move away from New York, Wahlstrom struggled to earn routine NHL minutes. The former 11th-overall selection has fallen a long way since making his NHL debut in 2019. He quickly struggled to score at the NHL level, with 12 goals and 21 points in 44 games of his rookie season standing as the highest scoring pace of Wahlstrom’s pro career. He posted a career-high 13 goals and 24 points in 73 games of his second NHL season, but fell to menial scoring and routine healthy scratches soon after that.

The Islanders rotated Wahlstrom around the lineup, but couldn’t find the right match for his flashy puck-skills and hard shot. Those traits did come to life during his stint with Providence at the end of last season, though. That fact commanded the attention of AHL clubs looking for a boost in scoring. It’s also commanded the attention of one of the NHL’s true bottom-feeders. San Jose is looking to bring in as much veteran presence and leadership as it can, to help guide a roster that’s sure to be one of the youngest in the league. 

Wahlstrom will be in direct competition for minutes with young wingers like Collin Graf, Ty Dellandrea, Philipp Kurashev and Quentin Musty. Each of those players face the test of proving they can stick in the NHL. The Sharks will be the beneficiaries of that competition, whether through awarding rookies strong minutes or finding the positives out of struggling veterans. They’ll hope Wahlstrom can be the one to emerge above the rest, and finally bank on his long-lauded potential.