![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/wahlstrom-e1753961753695.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The Detroit Red Wings should give this former first-round selection a shot as he could deliver value in the bottom six.<\/p>\n
The Detroit Red Wings<\/a> have hit that time in the offseason when it\u2019s worth looking at taking a flyer on potentially useful role players.<\/p>\n One such player that comes to mind is former first-round pick Oliver Wahlstrom<\/a>. The New York Islanders selected Wahlstrom 11th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. However, the Isles gave up on the 25-year-old forward, placing him on waivers last season.<\/p>\n The Boston Bruins<\/a> took a chance on Wahlstrom, claiming him as soon as he hit the wire. However, he was largely underwhelming, scoring one goal and adding one assist in 16 NHL games<\/a>. He played another 19 games with the Providence Bruins, scoring nine goals and 15 points in 19 games.<\/p>\n Those AHL numbers would point toward a rebound for Wahlstrom. Unfortunately, they weren\u2019t enough to convince Boston to extend Wahlstrom a qualifying offer. So, the 25-year-old RFA became a UFA this summer.<\/p>\n The Red Wings could look into giving Wahlstrom a shot given his age, first-round selection pedigree, and apparent bounce-back AHL numbers. Of course, signing Wahlstrom would be akin to a shot in the dark, but it\u2019s one worth considering.<\/p>\n Wahlstrom could agree to a Professional Tryout Contract (PTO) with the Red Wings. Since he\u2019s unlikely to get a full-time NHL deal, a PTO could be a good way for Wahlstrom to prove he belongs in the NHL.<\/p>\n How Wahlstrom Could Fit into Red Wings\u2019 Lineup<\/p>\n Oliver Wahlstrom is by no means a top-six forward. The Islanders hoped he would turn into one, but it just didn\u2019t work out.<\/p>\n So, the Red Wings could utilize Wahlstrom as more of a bottom-six grinder<\/a>. He could compete with forwards like Jonatan Berggren and Elmer Soderblom for a fourth-line role. While it seems unlikely Wahlstrom could unseat either one, bringing him in would add competition in training camp.<\/p>\n If Wahlstrom makes the team out of camp, he could take up the Red Wings\u2019 13th forward spot. That spot looks open for competition, so why not take a flyer on a former first-rounder to fill it?<\/p>\n The Red Wings could sign Wahlstrom to a two-way deal, giving the club flexibility in sending him down to the AHL without clearing waivers.<\/p>\n Wahlstrom Somewhat of a Long Shot for Detroit<\/p>\n The Red Wings would be taking somewhat of a long shot on Oliver Wahlstrom. He\u2019s essentially a first-round bust at this point in his NHL career. However, he\u2019s still young enough to where a team like the Red Wings can take a shot on hoping the change of scenery could help him rebound.<\/p>\n Thus far, there hasn\u2019t been much indication that could be the case. That\u2019s why a PTO makes the most sense. The Red Wings can cut Wahlstrom if he doesn\u2019t make the team, allowing another club to give him a chance.<\/p>\n The Wings lost nothing by taking a flyer on Oliver Wahlstrom. The payoff could be massive if he comes into training camp with a chip on his shoulder. This move could be the savviest one the Red Wings might attempt this offseason.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tNestor Quixtan<\/a> Seasoned NHL analyst focused on covering all 32 teams with news, analysis, and insights. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Nestor’s singular experiences and background have enabled him to bring a different take on the sports world as a whole. More about Nestor Quixtan<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Red Wings\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty The Detroit Red Wings should give this former first-round selection a shot as he could deliver value…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37496,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,575,85],"class_list":["post-37495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37495\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}