The Edmonton Oilers have officially made their first trade of the season.
Yesterday, Edmonton sent defenceman Spencer Stastney to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Filip Hallander. It’s not exactly a league altering move, but it is one that makes sense for both teams: Edmonton gets another depth forward to address some early season injuries, and Pittsburgh clears a forward logjam while adding a needed defenceman.
So who is Hallander, what kind of player is he, and what can Oilers fans expect of him when he makes his Edmonton debut?
Hallander’s profile and play style
Hallander is a fairly proto-typical middle/bottom-six forward. He’s 26 years old, stands 6’2” and 207lbs, and was originally drafted by the Penguins in 2018. He hasn’t made a mark at the NHL level yet, but he did have two productive years in the SHL in 2023–24 and 2024–25, scoring 14 goals and 36 points in 51 games, then 26 goals and 53 points in 51 games. Hallander missed much of last season after finally making Pittsburgh’s roster due to a blood clot issue, which according to Oilers GM Stan Bowman has been cured.
In terms of playstyle, Hallander is reported to be a not-flashy but hard-working forward. A better than average penalty killer, with average speed, and the ability to flash some skill. The kind of guy that doesn’t excel at anything, but is pretty steady overall. He’s played in two NHL games so far this season, posting a goal and two assists with a plus/minus of +4, so maybe he’s finally taking a step to establish himself.
How does he fit in the Oilers lineup?
On the Oilers, I’d expect Hallander to contend for a job in the bottom-six. Until the Oilers finally get healthy, it seems that lots of lower lineup jobs are up for grabs, especially in the forward core.
Owen Michaels and Mathieu Joseph have made good first impressions, while Max Jones and Alex Formenton have done less so. Hallander could be very capable of taking a job away from someone like Colton Dach or even Josh Samanski, considering Hallander plays left wing as well as centre.
His ability to kill penalties is probably his most valuable attribute, as the Oilers are still missing penalty kill ace Matt Savoie for a few more weeks, and Jason Dickinson just returned from injury.
Ultimately, Hallander is a low-risk acquisition with some middle-six upside. Considering the options for Stastney—who wasn’t going to play ahead of Mattias Ekolm, Jake Walman, or Ryan Shea—was be put on waivers and lost for nothing, it’s a good job by Bowman to at least get a realm player back in return. Whether or not he turns into anything, that’s a different question. But he’s got enough potential in certain areas that if he does pop for something, Edmonton will have filled a roster spot with a useful player for a very low cost.
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