Penguins prospect Filip Hallander shirks Pittsburgh for return to Sweden

The NHL’s oldest roster lost one of its top prospects when Filip Hallander of the Pittsburgh Penguins returned to the SHL on a five-year contract.

Hallander, an NHL RFA, will join Timra IK until his age 28 season, effectively ending his chances to become a full-time contributor with the team that drafted him in the 2nd round of the 2018 draft.

Filip Hallander returning to Sweden had been in the works for at least a month. He's known for awhile that he wanted to go back home.https://t.co/ljc8yoeAgB

— Taylor Haase (@TaylorHaasePGH) April 28, 2023

The 22-year-old was solid in the AHL (24G, 61P, in 104GP), and while he did not project to be a top-six forward in Pittsburgh, his departure further depletes an already wretched Penguins prospect pool.

While Penguins fans will regret the loss of a cheap, potentially productive young player, the bigger story of Hallander’s return to Europe concerns the circumstances surrounding his acquisition.

In 2020, Hallander was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a multifaceted trade that cost the Penguins a first-round selection and brought Kasperi Kapanen to the Steel City.

A year later, The Penguins reacquired Hallander along with a late draft pick and sent Jared McCann to Toronto, where the Seattle Kraken poached him in their expansion draft.

Reading over those moves will elicit groans from Penguins fans who have seen their team slowly decay since the triumphs of 2016 and 2017.

Kapanen, acquired in the first move, never scored 40 points in a season for the Pens before being claimed off of waivers by the St. Louis Blues in February. Ironically, the Finn has played his best hockey in years for the Blues.

McCann, the asset that brought Hallander back from Toronto, has become a signature player for the NHL’s newest team. Over two seasons in Seattle, the 26-year-old has 67 goals; he exploded for 40 in 2022-2023.

With Kapanen gone and McCann suddenly a star, Hallander’s departure rubs salt in a number of open wounds. Pittsburgh’s stars are old, their team is expensive, and they face an administration change that will have a tough decision to make over the franchise’s direction.