Earlier this morning the New York Islanders placed former first-round pick Oliver Wahlstrom on waivers.
With the waiver process now in motion, any team in the NHL will have the opportunity to claim Wahlstrom over the next 24 hours and give him a fresh opportunity in the NHL.
With that in mind, two landing spots for the young scoring forward have been suggested including the Boston Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers.
Coincidentally the Oilers were also in the waiver news today as they lost defenseman Travis Dermott who they placed on waivers yesterday.
Despite losing Dermott there is now an opportunity for the Oilers to add a highly skilled offensive-minded forward to the lineup in Wahlstrom.
Add the need for a scoring boost to the fact that NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently revealed that the Oilers are expected to still be active in making moves.
If the Oilers are looking to make a major move to boost their scoring then GM Stan Bowman will have to at least consider a move to claim Wahlstrom and see if a new environment can turn his career around.
However, even if the Oilers are interested in securing Wahlstrom's services it is expected they will encounter some competition from the Boston Bruins who some reporters believe will take a run at claiming him.
In a new article by The Hockey News, a suggestion was made that the Boston Bruins should be the team to claim Oliver Wahlstrom to try and steady the ship that has been their up-and-down season.
While Wahlstrom would fit into this role well for the Boston Bruins and provide yet another option to try and get things going offensively for the team he might not be worth the risk.
Bruins reporter Jimmy Murphy admits that while this would be a good story to have Wahlstrom a local connection return to his hometown and represent the team he grew up cheering for it would not fix the Bruins' most glaring issues.
Over the next 24 hours all 31 teams will have to weigh their options including the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins.
If either of these teams feels adding Wahlstrom to the lineup would increase their chances of competing for a Stanley Cup then we could see a big waiver claim made soon.
POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 13 | 128 ANSWERS Two Teams Emerge as Potential Candidates to Claim Former First Round Pick Oliver Wahlstrom Do you think Oliver Wahlstrom will be claimed on waivers by either the Edmonton Oilers or Boston Bruins | ||
Edmonton Oilers | 31 | 24.2 % |
Boston Bruins | 51 | 39.8 % |
A different team | 37 | 28.9 % |
He won't be claimed | 9 | 7 % |
List of polls |