Filip Hallander has been acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Spencer Stastney. You most likely have a typical career (or live under a rock) if this is news to you.
In any case, a lot of people—fans and journalists alike—are shocked by this agreement.
Before their Wednesday night game against the Anaheim Ducks, the Oilers announced that they had traded defenseman Spencer Stastney for forward Filip Hallander from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Reaction to Pittsburgh Penguins – Edmonton Oilers Swap
Judging by the responses to the Oilers deal, it is evident that people anticipated something more significant.
“Who in the actual hell is this,” says one of the team’s announcement’s most popular comments.
“Depth move. The Oilers had a ton of depth Dmen and some injuries up front,” Ryan Rishaug of TSN tweeted. “The @Edmonton Oilers add a depth forward in Hallander,” Bob Stauffer said of the agreement. “In 2024–25, he finished second in SHL scoring with Timra (26–27–53/51 GP). He can play in a number of forward roles. With the deal, the Oilers save over 650K on the cap.”
And that’s the main takeaway from that last line: with this trade, the Oilers free up some cash in their salary cap. More cap room will be made available for a further transaction.
Regarding another transaction, there is nothing in this Hallander transaction that rules out the possibility of a Kirby Dach transaction.
The Montreal Canadiens forward may remain silent over the next few days, but there is still a chance to get him. Actually, given the squad has more available cap room, it is now more probable than not that another trade will take place.
Who Is Filip Hallander?
On his NHL profile page, Hallander is listed as a center and is 26 years old. Weighing 207 pounds, he is 6 feet 2 inches tall.
In two games this season, Hallander has three points while averaging 10:17 of ice time. He has played 18 games in total in the NHL. In those contests, he has two goals and five assists, while averaging 12:04 every game.
Stastney’s $1.525 million is significantly more than Hallander’s $850k this year. According to PuckPedia, the trade will help the Oilers save $647,165 in actual money this year.
When all is said and done, Hallander isn’t particularly helpful and is in good health, making this a sideways move.
