A lot has changed since the last time we saw the Penguins take the ice. There’s a new head coach, a new surrounding staff, and a new goal for the organization heading into this season. And even though the goal might not be to win the Stanley Cup this season, there is still a lot of opportunity to be had for players, both new and returning.
Training Camp Transcripts takes a look at the fringe NHLers, long shot candidates, and lesser known players who will battle for spots in the team’s lineup this fall. In today’s edition, Filip Hallander.
Hallander and the Penguins have had an on-again, off-again relationship ever since former general manager Jim Rutherford drafted him in the second round, 58th overall, back in 2018.
Though he signed his entry level contract later that summer, Hallander remained playing in Sweden. About two years after his draft, he was involved in a major trade between the Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs. Hallander was part of a package that included the 15th overall pick in 2020 to bring Kasperi Kapanen (ironically, originally a Penguins draft pick) to Pittsburgh.
A year later, after Rutherford had abruptly stepped down and was replaced by Ron Hextall, the Pirates re-acquired Hallander ahead of the Seattle Expansion Draft. With the Penguins oddly opting not to protect forward Jared McCann, Hextall decided it was better to trade him for limited assets than risk losing him for nothing.
Hextall traded McCann to Toronto, who sent a seventh rounder and Hallander back to the Penguins in the deal. McCann was essentially used as insurance in Toronto; the Leafs correctly predicted that he would be more enticing than the other exposed players that Toronto wanted to keep.
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