Maple Leafs Pass as Sharks Sign Young Power Forward to PTO
Photo credit: Hockey Patrol
The Toronto Maple Leafs have seemingly passed on adding former first round pick Oliver Wahlstrom as the young power forward signed a PTO with the San Jose Sharks per insider David Pagnotta.
As the days tick away until preseason games commence (there's only five left) the Toronto Maple Leafs are gearing up to defend their Atlantic Division crown amidst a slew of new changes that include losing Mitch Marner and bringing in a brand new contingent of tough as nails forwards instead.
They have been rumored to be adding a potential top-six forward to their ranks in order to help a bit on offense, and guys ike Jack Roslovic have been front and center of the speculation but so far there's been nothing.
If they want to make a signing they best do it quickly, as they found themselves with yet another target scooped up.
Why the Sharks Took a Chance on the Former First-Rounder
According to NHL Insider David Pagnotta, the San Jose Sharks are intending to sign Oliver Wahlstrom to a PTO agreement, with salary cap knowledge base Puckpedia confirming the deal:
Hearing the San Jose Sharks have signed free agent Oliver Wahlstrom to a PTO.
Wahlstrom, 25, is an interesting player as he was the 11th overall pick in 2018 by the New York Islanders and was selected over names like Ty Smith, K'Andre Miller and Rasmus Sandin.
In 236 games he's only put up 73 points (37 goals, 36 assists) but is a very solid defensive player who can bring the physicality at times.
The one issue is that Wahlstrom hasn't really gotten his footing back (literally) after tearing his ACL in December 2022 and effectively ended his season. Managing to finally make his way back last season, he didn't play too much and was subsequently waived and picked up by Boston.
He's a great candidate to bounce back, is still only 25 years old and will get a lot of time to play on a San Jose team that is in the middle of a rebuild.
Maple Leafs Opted to Stick With Their Current Depth
While there's always something to be said about adding a former Top-15 pick, there are already a ton of bodies that do the same thing as Wahlstrom and already under contract.
With Roslovic still in the mix and an internal competition when it comes to camp, it's hard to see where Wahlstrom would have fit in, especially given that Toronto needs to stay as healthy as possible.
It's a sign that Brad Treliving isn't just going to make a signing for the sake of appeasing the fans and he feels confident in his team heading into 2025.
We'll have to take him at his word and wait and see though, as you might hear about a deal in the coming days.
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