The Islanders tenaciously hung on to Oliver Wahlstrom far beyond the points most other teams would reach while dealing with countless starts and stops along the way.
Maybe the last few games were just one of those, with Wahlstrom attacking the offensive zone more often and scoring a few points.
Admittedly, there's a long way to go between what the Islanders would consider a fair return on their investment in the 24-year-old.
But Wahlstrom senses something different about this series of performances. That means he's starting to explore offense in ways he hasn't felt in a long time.
“I want to bring my offensive game,” Wahlstrom said before Tuesday's home game against the Kings. “They've been working with me for four or five years to get a complete game, so I want to take some chances to move that game. When you're young, you focus on one aspect of the game. I'm trying to focus on getting my offensive game back. I know if I stay focused and play well, I can help this team.”
It's easy to forget that Wahlstrom was once considered a future 30-goal scorer as he floated among the bottom six last year with a post-ACL tear and a healthy scratch.
When Barry Trotz gets frustrated and sits Wahlstrom out to stretch, it's usually because of an inadvertent turnover or a mistake on the part of the defense.
So far, no one is calling Wahlstrom perfect. But now that he has earned enough confidence in his own zone, the bigger question is that he will begin to tap into his offensive potential, which has been almost completely underutilized since his knee injury in December 2022. The question is whether it can be done.
“I have confidence in my ability to produce and develop an offensive game,” Wahlstrom said. “I went through it the first year. Lots of fun conversations with [GM] Lou [Lamoriello]. In my early days, they wanted me to put the puck in and play defense – I was focused on that. Now is the time to understand your offensive game, raise the puck with confidence, make plays, and deal with the consequences.
“Because this game is about mistakes. This game is about playing the way you can and things like that. I think for me it's just sticking to what I've been doing. I'm much better defensively than I was when I was 18 or 19. Now it's about finding my offensive side with this team.”
At this point, it feels like it's beyond the Islanders' wildest dreams to speculate whether Wahlstrom still has a 30-goal season in his future.
But if he can reach half that number, it would be an invaluable addition to a bottom six that has long lacked attacking power.
And to justify the Islanders bringing Wahlstrom back in another Last Chance Saloon deal last summer after Lamoriello almost openly admitted in draft meetings that he was looking for a way to trade him. It will be.
“I just hope the confidence is there,” coach Patrick Roy said. “And sometimes it's important to believe in yourself and shoot the puck with confidence, and I hope he can do that offensively. He's a goalscorer, so if you're a goalscorer, it's important that you shoot the puck. He needs to be around. And I want him to keep hitting the net and I believe good things will happen.”
According to Wahlstrom's history, some decent games are just that. But the silver lining is that we are finally starting to turn a corner.
“Being young, it seems like you have to have a perfect game, but at the end of the day, it's hockey. Things are going to happen,” Wahlstrom said. “You have to go with the flow. Things happen. But for me it's about gaining confidence and keeping moving forward.”
