A former top Islanders pick may be on the verge of taking his game overseas.
Oliver Wahlstrom, the No. 11 selection in the 2018 NHL Draft, is drawing interest from a KHL club that is prepared to make him a substantial offer, according to Artur Khairullin. If that comes together, it would put the former New York Islanders first-rounder on track for the 2026-27 season in Russia.
The possibility comes at a time when another ex-Islanders prospect has already made the jump. The Islanders did not give Matt Maggio a qualifying offer this summer, which made him a free agent, and he has since signed a one-year deal with Salavat Yulaev of the KHL.
Wahlstrom’s path has not matched the expectations that came with his draft slot. He arrived in the league with a reputation as the draft’s best natural goal scorer and was projected to grow into a top-six winger capable of putting up 30-plus goals a year. That kind of breakout never arrived.
His skating has long been the issue. He never really got traction during his time on Long Island, though he did flash early.
His strongest NHL stretch came in his rookie season, when he scored 12 goals in 44 games. After that, the production slowed sharply: over his next 166 NHL games, he scored 24 goals.
The Islanders waived Wahlstrom on Dec. 13, 2024, and the Boston Bruins claimed him. He appeared in 16 games for Boston, scored once, and then was assigned to Providence in the AHL. Last season, he played for the San Jose Barracuda and led the club with 24 goals.
Even with that goal total out west, Wahlstrom still hasn’t landed a lasting NHL spot, and now Russia may be the next stop.
In Other News...
Islanders Have One PTO Gamble Fans Will Instantly Recognize
Professional tryouts have become one of those late-summer NHL tools that can quietly shape a training camp, and the Islanders have already shown they are willing to use them. Matt Martins recent example reminded everyone that a PTO can still matter for a veteran trying to earn his way onto a roster, especially when a team wants a closer look before making any real commitment.
One name that keeps surfacing in that conversation is a player with obvious finishing talent and just as obvious injury questions, the kind of gamble that can tempt a team needing more offense. The appeal is easy to understand, but there is also a fit issue, since his defensive game may not match what coach Pete DeBoer wants out of his forwards, which is why the situation feels like it could linger a little longer before anything is settled. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders May Still Be Stuck In The Same Frustrating Spot
The Islanders have spent much of the past decade living in that awkward middle ground, good enough to avoid the bottom, not quite sharp enough to make the next leap. Even after winning the Draft Lottery in 2025 and taking Matthew Schaefer first overall, there is still a lingering sense that the franchise is trying to climb out of the same familiar rut rather than breaking free from it.
A recent projection from Daily Faceoff only fed that feeling, placing the Islanders right on the playoff edge in 2030 and leaving them in the same neighborhood where so many of their seasons have ended. There is still reason for optimism in Schaefer and a pipeline that looks solid enough to matter down the line, but the roster also carries a lot of long-term weight, and the path to something better may not get clear until well after this current window starts to age out. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Draft Haul Is Suddenly Giving Fans Another Reason To Believe
A fresh look at the 2025 NHL draft class has only added to the sense that the Islanders may have come away with more than a few useful pieces. Corey Pronmans latest re-ranking kept Matthew Schaefer at No. 1 overall after his Calder Trophy-winning season, but the attention for Long Island came a little further down the board, where several Islanders prospects saw their stock climb based on how they have developed since draft day.
Kashawn Aitcheson moved into the top 10 of the re-draft, while Daniil Prokhorov and Tomas Poletin also made notable gains, a sign that the Islanders haul is looking more convincing as the class gets re-evaluated. Victor Eklund slid a bit in the updated order, which is part of the natural churn in any early draft assessment, but the broader picture is what matters here: the Islanders have reason to feel better about the way that group is trending, even if the final verdict is still a long way off. [Read more 🡒]