Islanders wing Oliver Wahlstrom spoke during training camp about a fresh mindset, saying he had cleared away the pressure he put on himself during tough stretches last season.
Now, he has a new problem on his hands.
Wahlstrom, among the scratches on Thursday night for the Islanders’ opener against the Panthers, was sitting in the press box after both Kieffer Bellows and Nikita Soshnikov beat him out for a spot in the lineup during training camp.
Though Wahlstrom practiced leading up to the 3-1 loss to Florida, coach Lane Lambert said after the game that the scratch was due to a lingering upper-body injury that kept him out during parts of camp.
“Both him and Cal Clutterbuck are coming back and progressing from things they had that kept them out of training camp,” Lambert said. “We look forward to seeing them back in the lineup soon.”
Lambert was noncommittal about Wahlstrom’s status for the game Saturday against the Ducks, saying they would see how he progresses.
Toward the end of camp, it seemed as though Wahlstrom had been beaten out for a spot in the regular lineup by Bellows, who played just 7:16 as a part of the third line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Josh Bailey.
Whether that is indeed the case will become more clear once Wahlstrom is fully healthy, but the 22-year-old does seem to be at a career crossroads.
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A first-round pick in 2018, Wahlstrom was an NHL mainstay for the last two seasons, but struggled to show his potential. After a hot start to the 2021-22 season, he scored just three times after the All-Star break and seemed to have issues getting along with former coach Barry Trotz. With Lambert in charge, the hope was that Wahlstrom could begin to flourish.
Instead, his training camp was mostly nondescript and he has started the season not only as a scratch, but also in danger of losing his roster spot once Clutterbuck returns from injured reserve.
It was a milestone day for defenseman Robin Salo, who played in his first NHL opener on his 24th birthday — though it would have been better with a win.
Salo, who played 21 games with the Islanders last year, said he felt more comfortable this time around having been a part of the NHL group from training camp onwards.
“Of course when you get called up, stuff like that happens really fast,” Salo said after playing 11:28. “You don’t have time to think that much, so I guess when you get to go through training camp and all that stuff, you get probably a bit more comfortable in the team.”
Ilya Sorokin started in net and made 26 saves on 28 shots (Florida had an empty-net goal). Lambert has not said what his plan is for rotating Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov.
Clutterbuck (shoulder soreness) skated with the team Thursday morning.
“I think he’s looking better,” Lambert said. “[We’ll] see how his progression goes.”
