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The Ottawa Senators are entering the 2024-25 season with their sights firmly set on returning to the playoffs. The Sens haven't played meaningful hockey past the end of April since making a cinderella run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final in 2017, and saying the fan base is getting restless is a huge understatement.
On paper, it looks like the roster has the potential to at least be hanging around the wildcard picture all campaign long. A big reason for that is the addition of 2022-23 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, who was brought to Canada's capital earlier this summer. He is a huge upgrade from Joonas Korpisalo between the pipes, and goaltending was a glaring issue for this club last year.
Add veterans David Perron and Nick Cousins, who were signed in free agency, as well as steady top-four D-man Nick Jensen, who came over in the trade that sent Jakob Chychrun to the Washington Capitals, and this does look like a stronger roster than last year. That will be even more apparent if Josh Norris and Shane Pinto can stay healthy and meaningfully contribute to the organization's postseason goals.
But the Senators could make one more minor deal to help round out the forward core ahead of opening night against the Florida Panthers on October 10 — acquiring New York Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom.
Islanders' Oliver Wahlstrom needs a change of scenery
There were high expectations for Walstrom in Long Island after he was selected No. 11 overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. And it looked like he was well on his way to meeting them after putting up 12 goals and 21 points in 44 games during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.
But the Yarmouth, Maine native has failed to match that promising NHL debut performance, chipping in just 24 points in 73 games the next season. He also managed to play just 67 total games over two seasons from 2022-24, recording a dismal nine goals and 22 points in that span.
It's been a real tough go for Wahlstrom over the last few years. Besides his inconsistent play, he had to recover from a torn ACL suffered during the 2022-23 season, and he's spent more time in the press box than he has on the ice. He was a healthy scratch frequently throughout 2023-24, and the 24-year-old just looks like he needs to be out of New York.
Although the Islanders signed Wahlstrom to a one-year, $1 million deal at the end of July, it's been widely speculated that a new beginning elsewhere would be the best move for his career. After the 2024 NHL Draft, GM Lou Lamoriello even said he was searching for a trade partners to give the winger a fresh start.
Wahlstrom could slot in on second or third line in Ottawa
With his Islanders future uncertain, the Senators could swoop in and snag the player for a very low price. New York is still strapped for cap space, and Wahlstrom could become a cost-cutting trade candidate before the season begins.
Earlier in September, The Athletic's Arthur Staple sat down with Lamoriello, who said he was impressed by Wahlstrom's hard work during offseason training.
“The summer he’s put in on his own here — he’s been here all summer, though he’s now in Detroit with the group he worked with last year — if this is any indication (of) where his determination is, he’ll be given every opportunity,” the GM asserted when asked if he's part of the team's plans.
“Right now he is with us. That’s the way I look at it until something transpires. He’ll make that decision on how he plays, like most every other player.”
Although that's a vote of confidence, it still leaves the door open to a potential trade. And he could get an immediate look in Ottawa's top-six, playing with some pretty good players. The Senators top line looks like it will be Tim Stutzle, Claude Giroux and Brady Tkachuk on opening night, but the second line seems to be less set in stone.
Although Daily Faceoff currently projects Norris as the second-line winger, either he or Pinto could be moved down to 3C, opening up a spot on Drake Batherson's opposite wing on line two.
The Senators don't really have any other players in that top-six mold, except Perron, who is now 36-years-old and will likely begin the season on the third line. If Wahlstrom got an opportunity along with Norris and Batherson, it would create an even stronger third line with Pinto, Perron and Ridly Greig.
And if Wahlstrom struggled in that role, he could also play on the third line, potentially pushing Cousins down to a suitable fourth-line role.
The Senators have the cap space to make it work
Senators GM Steve Staios could certainly make this deal work; Wahlstrom is making just $1 million in 2024-25, after all. His trade value has probably never been lower, and even if things don't go well, he could either be moved at the trade deadline or allowed to walk next summer.
But there is potential for this player to bounce back, and a change of scenery could be just what he needs to live up to his former first-round potential. The Senators currently have $1.1 million in cap space, per Puck Pedia, so it wouldn't take any salary cap maneuvering to pull it off. It's a low-risk, potentially high-reward deal, and it's the kind of deal Ottawa could swing to prove they mean business in 2024-25.
Although it does look like Lamoriello will give Wahlstrom another chance in New York to begin the season, he is certainly a player to monitor on the trade market as training camp progresses. If given the right opportunity — and likely a change of scenery — he still has sufficient skill and ability to excel at the NHL level.
