Islanders Mailbag Part 2: Oliver Wahlstrom, Brock Nelson and Bridgeport’s Thin Roster

Time for part 2 of the New York Islanders mailbag. In part 1, you asked about the defensive corps, future moves, who the leading penalty-kill forwards will be, and what it means to root for a team that hasn’t exactly had much success in the last, oh, four decades.

Now some questions about Oliver Wahlstrom, Brock Nelson, Bridgeport and new assistant Tommy Albelin.

Please note: the questions have been lightly edited for clarity.

Oliver Wahlstrom signed. Will he still be moved? And if not, will he actually get ice time and one last chance to earn a permanent spot on the roster? — Gina B.

I know the general idea is that Wahlstrom gets traded, but is there a world in which he replaces Hudson Fasching or Simon Holmstrom and functions as a bottom-six scorer and power-play specialist? Does he get a chance at training camp after a full, healthy offseason? — Cory E.

Wahlstrom’s one-year, $1 million deal doesn’t indicate where his future lies. It’s a small enough deal to be a “prove-it” opportunity — he could be cut and his cap hit buried entirely if no one claims him — but it could be too much salary to keep him hanging around for too long with the Isles, who essentially have no cap space left on a 22-man roster.

He may be eager for a fresh start somewhere else. Lou Lamoriello offered Wahlstrom, but the response was lukewarm at best, prompting Lamoriello’s “we’re not going to give him away” remark at the draft.

If Wahlstrom makes it to camp, he’ll have a tough job. Head coach Patrick Roy likely doesn’t see Wahlstrom as a reliable bottom-six forward on a team with more than a few bottom-six prospects. Wahlstrom would have to have an incredible camp to secure a top-six spot. And if he’s the 13th forward, he doesn’t have a chance to show that he belongs in the league, even on another team.

Waivers are likely his best chance to move on now.

If Brock Nelson is hitting his usual numbers but the team can’t win, do you think a prospect would be willing to give up a first and two second place finishes? Or a first and a top 3 prospect from that team? I’m just looking at teams like COL, DAL, VGK, BOS… getting a guy like Nelson as your new 2C can be the difference between winning the cup or not if you use him right. I like Nelson, but we really shouldn’t be bringing him back after this upcoming season no matter what. Same goes for Kyle Palmieri. — Josh L.

Much of the Nelson discourse could be settled by how the season plays out. If the Islanders are safely in a playoff spot, Lamoriello will add a spot at the deadline; if they’re way out, Nelson immediately moves to the top of the list of Isles who can make a meaningful comeback.

I can’t imagine it being a first and two seconds or a first and a top-3 prospect because there are always good players available at the deadline. Jake Guentzel was the prize at the last deadline and the Carolina Hurricanes ultimately didn’t give up a first or a B-plus prospect.

However, there will be plenty of candidates, as you rightly point out.

If the Isles don’t bring back any of their upcoming UFAs and they buy out Anders Lee, they’re looking at around $30 million in cap space, though you can whittle that down by $8 million to $9 million for Noah Dobson’s next contract. Still a big chunk of space, though. Enough to find a capable 2C to replace Nelson? Sure, especially if it’s a trade for a mid-20s, cost-controlled center.

Nelson has been the team’s most consistent player over the past five years, so I’m not really in the trade camp here. A lot is riding on this season — unless Lamoriello decides to extend Nelson before the year starts.

After signing players like Pierre Engvall and Scott Mayfield to long-term contracts, how long do you think Nelson will remain on his contract if the Islanders re-sign him? — Jonathan S.

If Nelson extends, there may be more time to get the AAV down. You’re going to see more of these types of contracts for older players — look at Chris Tanev’s deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs — especially players who sign in high-tax states. It’s essentially a way to defer money for players who aren’t likely to play out their contracts, something the league frowns upon.

So Lamoriello, who has given long-term deals and knows all the tricks in the book, could do the same here. It could even be a seven-year deal for Nelson, giving him the same total amount he would get as a free agent, but delaying it.

Why has Bridgeport become a cellar dweller for a team that values ​​a winning culture? I understand that the lack of prospects plays a major role in this, but why haven’t they invested more in better AHL talent so that our prospects can play in more meaningful games? — Mike W.

Are there any realistic Bridgeport prospects who could make the move this year? William Dufour, Matthew Maggio, Alex Jefferies? — Doug S.

Building a winning AHL team costs money — you have to pay career AHL players bigger guarantees to bring them in. That was a priority when Lamoriello first got here, but it hasn’t been as much of a priority lately, probably because of the ownership. So you end up with veteran AHL players who aren’t as good and, because you’ve traded so many first-rounders, fewer legitimate prospects.

As for the second question, those three probably won’t make the jump this season. They should all be in line for bigger opportunities in Bridgeport with some veterans like Otto Koivula and Ruslan Iskhakov gone, but Dufour and Maggio haven’t shown enough to warrant a call-up. Jefferies came in quickly after his college career ended last spring, but that was 12 games. He needs more AHL time.

If Matt Martin doesn’t come back, what do you think Lou will do to handle the role of enforcer? I know it’s not as critical as it has been in the past, but Metro still has Matt Rempe, Tom Wilson, and a few other heavyweights. Someone for Bridgeport, perhaps? — Michael L.

Martin is 35, so he wouldn’t just drop the gloves if an opponent wanted to fight or overstep a line, but this Islanders team doesn’t seem as tough as it once did. Lee’s role is changing, and he’s the consummate leader, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him drop the gloves if needed this season. So does Mayfield.

Was Tommy Albelin really a Roy hire or did Lamoriello force it? Lou screams, with ties to his New Jersey Devils days. — Joseph A.

A smart coach like Roy knows that you have to keep your boss happy and still build the best staff possible. Albelin was a longtime assistant for the Devils and an assistant for the AHL Devils, and then a pro scout for the Leafs when Lamoriello was GM. This was probably Lamoriello’s suggestion to have Roy and Albelin talk and see if they were a good fit.

Roy seems very comfortable with his group, even if it’s a mix of a holdover from Lane Lambert’s staff in John MacLean, one of his own in Benoit Desrosiers and now Albelin. Yes, there are Lou’s fingerprints all over this coaching staff, but Roy is far from a wimp. It’s his team, his philosophy and now his assistants, even if they are the pillars of Lamoriello.

(Top photo: Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images)