New York Islanders Place Two Players on Waivers; Including a Surprise in Former First Round Pick
The New York Islanders are off to a poor start in 2024/25, and now they've made some huge waiver moves including a former first-round pick in Oliver Wahlstrom.
This season hasn't gone the way that Lou Lamoriello and Patrick Roy would have liked in New York, and with a turnaround desperately needed, they've now made a shock move on waivers.
The first move was to waive Pierre Engvall, who has struggled to catch on this season, and with one stint in the AHL already under his belt, it appears another is firmly on the way.
The other however was much more shocking, as the team also waived 24-year old Oliver Wahlstrom, who was the 11th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, and given his good size and talent, this appears to be the team giving up on someone way, way too early.
In his first two full seasons, Wahlstrom showed plenty of potential with 21 and 24 points, but since then he's struggled to take the next step, and while that's no doubt frustrating for New York, patience was needed here as there will be plenty of interest in him on waivers.
The other big move of the day on waivers was Travis Dermott, who was waived by the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, as he was officially claimed by the Minnesota Wild.
The move from the Wild comes less than 24 hours after they were defeated 7-1 by the Oilers, but for a team that's clearly trying to compete in 2024/25, getting a versatile veteran like Dermott is a fantastic move.
It's unclear what role Dermott is going to play in Minnesota, but with the ability to play on both the left and the right, he'll be a fantastic depth piece for a great team this season, and if they go deep in the playoffs, expect Dermott to play a solid role for them.
