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Filip Hallander

Filip Hållander Signs Long-Term Deal In Sweden

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Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Filip Hållander has signed a five-year contract with the SHL’s Timrå IK, the Swedish club announced Friday morning.

This is a striking and likely unexpected move for the Penguins organization. While it’s common to see players older in age opt to return to Europe after not developing into higher-end NHLers, Hållander is still just 22 years old and was a candidate to make the Penguins out of training camp next season.

Pittsburgh can still retain Hållander’s NHL rights by issuing him a qualifying offer this summer, as he’s a pending restricted free agent. At the conclusion of his new SHL contract in 2028, he would then have to sign with Pittsburgh if he wanted to return to the NHL.

Nevertheless, it’s a tough blow for an organization already low on talented prospects. Hållander was one of the organization’s best, especially at center, and took huge steps forward this season with 33 points in 44 games for the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Drafted 58th overall in 2018, Hållander was traded away and re-acquired in two separate transactions with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It does mark a homecoming for the Swedish forward, who was developed in Timrå’s system all the way from U16 play to his professional debut. During his draft year (2017-18), he played an important role in earning Timrå promotion from the second-tier Allsvenskan, notching 20 points in 40 games.

When Timrå failed to avoid relegation back to the Allsvenskan the next season, however, Pittsburgh loaned him to a different SHL club, Luleå HF, for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons before Hållander arrived in North America.

Filip Hallander Reassigned To AHL

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced forward Filip Hallander has been reassigned to the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins. It puts an end to a wild day for the young forward. Hallander was called up by the Penguins this morning and head coach Mike Sullivan said him and Dustin Tokarski, who was also recalled, would hopefully be arriving by game time.

Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports later reported that both Jake Guentzel and Jason Zucker were game-time decisions for the Penguins game against the Dallas Stars. Both of them took warmup and were then in the lineup, so the team had no room for Hallander. His recall was a precaution in case one of the veteran wingers was not able to play tonight.

Tokarski did not take part in the warmup and Rob Rossi of The Athletic reported he was yet to arrive in Dallas as of game time. This means Hallander was reassigned before he ever joined the team today as he would have been travelling with Tokarski.

Hallander, a 22-year-old forward, has spent most of the season in the AHL. He has played 40 games with Wilkes Barre/Scranton and scored 11 goals and 33 points. He has already played two NHL games with the Penguins this season, and one more in 2021-22, but is yet to register his first NHL point.

Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Dustin Tokarski, Filip Hallander

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With the Pittsburgh Penguins barely holding onto a playoff position, the last thing fans want to see are emergency recalls. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what they received today, as the Penguins announced the call-up of Dustin Tokarski and Filip Hallander from the AHL on an emergency basis.

Shelly Anderson of Pittsburgh Hockey Now reports that head coach Mike Sullivan will speak with the media two hours before tonight’s game against the Dallas Stars.

Pittsburgh is coming off a massive win against the Colorado Avalanche last night, stopping a four-game losing streak that threatened the team’s playoff hopes. With a one-point lead on the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference wild card race, every game seems like a must-win for the Penguins these days.

Casey DeSmith, who is dealing with an illness, was healthy enough to serve as the backup last night, but Tokarski’s recall suggests that Tristan Jarry may have to play back-to-back games, unless there is another injury that has popped up in the hours since leaving Denver.

The minor league veteran does have a .917 save percentage in 29 appearances with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this year but posted an .897 in four games with Pittsburgh earlier. With so much importance attached to every game at this point, it would be a disappointing outcome to see Tokarski have to carry the load tonight in Dallas.

Metropolitan Notes: Hallander, Barzal, Noesen

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Penguins prospect Filip Hallander was stretchered off the ice late in yesterday’s AHL game between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Charlotte, relays Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  The injury occurred off a faceoff with his legs getting tied up with a Charlotte player, causing him to fall to the ice, landing on the side of his head.  Play was quickly whistled down as the 22-year-old was motionless on the ice and the game was called at that point.  The team released a brief statement this morning (Twitter link) indicating that he has been released from the hospital and is resting at home.  They will not be providing any further information about the injury at this time.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Islanders center Mathew Barzal was a late scratch in Friday’s loss to Calgary due to what was termed a tweak, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). It’s likely that the issue was sustained the night before in Edmonton.  Barzal took part in the pregame warmup so it’s likely his absence will be a short-term one.  The 25-year-old has had a bit of a bounce-back season offensively and is on pace for numbers comparable to his rookie season when he had 22 goals and 85 points.
  • Hurricanes winger Stefan Noesen isn’t expected to play today against Columbus, reports team reporter Walt Ruff (Twitter link). After playing sparingly with Carolina last season, the 29-year-old is on pace for a career year with eight goals and a dozen assists through his first 37 games played which is pretty strong production for someone averaging just over 12 minutes a game in ice time.  While there’s no word on how long Noesen will be out, it doesn’t appear that this will be a long-term absence.

Pittsburgh Penguins Activate Teddy Blueger

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that forward Teddy Blueger has been activated off of injured reserve. In a corresponding move, forward Filip Hallander was re-assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins.

This move puts Blueger in line to make his season debut. He’s missed all of the Penguins’ games this season after suffering an upper-body injury in the preseason. Last year, Blueger scored a healthy nine goals and 28 points in 65 games while also contributing as the team’s most heavily-utilized penalty-killing forward.

In Blueger’s absence, the Penguins have run offseason trade acquisition Ryan Poehling as the team’s fourth-line center. With Blueger now healthy, Poehling’s time in Blueger’s spot in the lineup may have come to an end.

The 23-year-old Poehling hasn’t been outright bad this year, but his three points in 15 games are definitely lower than the production the Penguins could expect out of Blueger. Poehling has also functioned in Blueger’s role as the Penguins’ top penalty-killing center so far this year, but with the team’s penalty kill ranked ninth-worst in the NHL with a 75.5% kill rate, it’s likely that Blueger resumes his role there as well.

The Penguins haven’t looked like a contender so far this season and currently sit second-to-last in the Metropolitan Division. While the team’s issues may run deeper than just not having their ideal fourth-line center, getting Blueger back from injury is certainly a positive development.

As for Hallander, the 22-year-old prospect forward has gotten off to a scorching hot start with AHL Wilkes-Barre Scranton. He has nine points in 10 games so far this year and should remain near the top of the team’s depth chart in terms of priority forward call-ups.

Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Filip Hallander

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The Pittsburgh Penguins, mired in a seven-game losing streak, have recalled Filip Hallander from the minor leagues. The move follows the assignment of Drew O’Connor to the AHL yesterday.

Hallander, 22, made his NHL debut last season, playing in a single game with the Penguins. He ended up seeing fewer than six minutes of ice time that game, meaning his next appearance will likely be more impactful.

He also might be more suited for the NHL this time around. Hallander has been excellent in the AHL this year, posting four goals and nine points in ten games for the Wilkes-Barr/Scranton Penguins. While he was selected four years ago and has already been included in two trades, it’s easy to forget just how little experience he has in North America.

Last season was his first taste of the AHL, and he scored 14 goals and 28 points in 61 games. If given an entire year he looks poised to blow those numbers out of the water, even if his offensive profile isn’t expected to be what gets him to the NHL.

That would be his defensive game, as a versatile option whose natural position is center. If the Penguins decide to mix up the bottom six, Hallander will be an interesting piece to insert.

Filip Hallander Recalled By Pittsburgh Penguins

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The Pittsburgh Penguins could have a new face in the lineup this evening, as Filip Hallander has been recalled under emergency conditions. The young forward would be making his NHL debut should he join the lineup against the New York Rangers this evening.

Hallander’s career so far has been an interesting one. Originally drafted by the Penguins in 2018, he was part of the trade that brought Kasperi Kapanen to Pittsburgh in 2020. Less than a year later he was on his way back to the Penguins in the pre-expansion Jared McCann trade before he had ever even played in North America.

This season, his first with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL, the 21-year-old forward has ten goals and 24 points in 53 games. While those numbers don’t pop off the page, Hallander has been praised for his two-way play dating back to his draft year. His ceiling was always likely that of a third-line forward in the NHL, if he reaches that level on a full-time basis at all.

It’s Hallander’s play in the NHL, whenever his debut does happen, that will ask some interesting questions about the future. Teddy Blueger, who represents the team’s checking-line center, is signed through next season but is a pending UFA in the summer of 2023. Versatile Evan Rodrigues and trade deadline pickup Rickard Rakell are both pending UFAs this summer. Then there is the core trio of Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Bryan Rust, who are all set to hit the open market–or land new, expensive contracts with the Penguins–this year. All of this uncertainty means that players on entry-level deals will become extremely important. Hallander is still signed through next season on that very inexpensive ELC, making him an intriguing piece to watch down the stretch if he finds his way into the lineup.

Metropolitan Notes: Korpisalo, Bayreuther, Kreider, Hallander

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Although Columbus recently inked goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to a five-year extension, fellow netminder Joonas Korpisalo told reporters, including Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch, that he hopes to still be able to remain with the Blue Jackets beyond the expiration of his current contract next summer.  The 27-year-old has spent his entire career with the organization after being drafted in the third round back in 2012 but has largely been in a backup role during that stretch.  With the commitment they’ve made to Merzlikins, Korpisalo, who is hoping to be cleared to return from his lower-body injury soon, will have a hard time landing a lot more than his $2.8MM AAV as the high-end backup market is typically in the mid-to-high $3MM range.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Still with Columbus, while defenseman Gavin Bayreuther’s time with Seattle was limited, it wasn’t due to a lack of interest from the Kraken. The blueliner told Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets’ team site that he did receive a two-way offer from Seattle but knew that he’d be viewed as a player that was likely ticketed for the minors.  Instead, he went to free agency and returned to Columbus where he feels he’ll have a better chance of sticking with the big club.  Bayreuther averaged just over 15 minutes in nine games with Columbus last season.
  • The Rangers are shifting winger Chris Kreider to his off-wing, notes Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The lefty will play on the right side with sophomore Alexis Lafreniere not being comfortable in that spot at this time.  The move should allow Kreider to play a little higher in the lineup with youngsters Kaapo Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov not yet ready for heavier workloads though that could change in-season.
  • Penguins prospect Filip Hallander returned to full practice today after missing the start of training camp due to a lower-body injury, relays Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 21-year-old was re-acquired from Toronto back in July for forward Jared McCann and could push for a spot at the end of the roster to start the season.

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