When the Boston Bruins claimed Oliver Wahlstrom off of waivers, it was a desperate move by GM Don Sweeney in an attempt to find some secondary scoring. Struggling with the New York Islanders, Wahlstrom never got his feet on the ground running with the Black and Gold.
A couple of weeks ago, the Bruins placed the struggling Wahlstrom on waivers, but to no surprise, he cleared waivers and was sent down to the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL). He is a player who has yet to find his game and claiming him was a shot in the dark for the Black and Gold, but it just hasn't worked out.
Oliver Wahlstrom finding scoring touch with P-Bruins
Since going down to Providence, Wahlstrom has been finding his scoring touch. In four games with the P-Bruins, he has five goals, but three of those lamp lighters were scored on Friday night in a 5-2 win over the Toronto Marlies. It was the first hat trick scored by a Providence player in 2024-25. That's a little surprising considering the season that Georgii Merkulov was having down there before being called up to Boston.
Wahlstrom was given a lot of chances on the third line with the Bruins under interim coach Joe Sacco and in 16 games with the Black and Gold he had a goal and an assist. Not ideal if we're being honest.
There are 17 games remaining in the season for the Boston Bruins and time is quickly running out. After a flurry of trades at the deadline on Friday, there will be plenty of chances for players to make a case for a roster spot in 2025-26. As far as Wahlstrom goes, it feels like he's fighting for a spot somewhere with some team next season, just not in Boston. It remains to be seen if he gets called up again, but he is taking advantage of his opportunity in the AHL and making the most of it.