Oilers acquire centre Filip Hallander from Penguins for defenceman Spencer Stastney

EDMONTON · The Edmonton Oilers acquired centre Filip Hallander from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday in exchange for defenceman Spencer Stastney. The trade addresses the Oilers' need for forward depth as they deal with injuries to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, Matthew Savoie, Jason Dickinson and Mattias Janmark. For the Penguins, the move alleviates a logjam of NHL-calibre forwards and adds a defenceman to a thin left side of their blue line. The swap was announced hours before the Oilers faced the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night. Hallander, 26, has a goal and two assists in two games with Pittsburgh this season. The six-foot-two, 207-pound native of Sundsvall, Sweden, was a second-round pick of the Penguins in 2018. He has two goals and five assists over 18 career NHL games and spent most of his time in the American Hockey League, recording 26 goals and 36 assists in 107 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

"He finished 2nd in SHL scoring with Timra in 2024-25 (26-27-53/51 GP). He can play multiple forward positions. Oilers save over 650K on the cap with the deal," Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer wrote. Hallander was a healthy scratch for the Penguins in their 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Monday.

Stastney, also 26, has not played a game this season. The Oilers had acquired the five-foot-11, 196-pound defenceman from the Nashville Predators for a third-round pick in 2027 on Dec. 12. He scored one goal in 36 games with Edmonton last season and had three goals and 15 assists over 81 games with Nashville before that trade. It was not immediately confirmed if Stastney would be available for the Penguins' Wednesday night game against the Washington Capitals. Pittsburgh's next game is against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.

With files from The Globe and Mail, Sportsnet and Yahoo Sports