The Edmonton Oilers have been active in trade rumors this week. The chatter picked a high point last Saturday night, when insider Elliotte Friedman predicted the organization would make a “lateral move.”
The prophesied move involved moving one of three depth defensemen for some forward help.
Well, the move happened on Wednesday, with the Oilers sending blueliner Spencer Stastney to the Pittsburgh Penguins for former top prospect Filip Hallander.
To #Letsgopens Spencer Stastney 26 y/o D, Yr 1/1 $1.525M
To #Letsgooilers Filip Hallander 26 y/o F, Yr 2/2 $850K
Pit adds $675K net cap hit
Make no mistake, folks. This is a depth move.
While Edmonton fans would love to see the club make a massive move, the bottom line is that’s just not in the cards at the moment. So, Edmonton is looking to shore up its depth, meanwhile several forwards remain on the shelf with various injuries.
Hallander is a former second-round pick who’s been around the block quite a bit despite playing just 18 NHL games.
The Swedish forward was part of the deal that sent now-Oilers teammate Kasperi Kapanen to the Penguins. Hallander went to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but then returned to the Pens when the Maple Leafs acquired Jared McCann ahead of the 2021 expansion draft.
Unfortunately for the 26-year-old, he never really caught on in Pittsburgh. That situation made him expendable.
As for Stastney, he’ll be nothing more than blueliner depth for the Penguins moving forward.
Hallander Actually Makes Sense for Oilers
Looking at the move itself, it actually makes sense for the Oilers. Hallander is a bottom-six forward at best. As such, his ability to play both center and wing gives the club some flexibility in the lineup.
Now, the likeliest outcome here is that Hallander lands on the wing on either the third or fourth line. But he could move to the middle in a pinch, if needed.
That’s something important to keep an eye on.
The Oilers need as much flexibility now as they can get. Hallander provides that. While his numbers may not leap off the page at the NHL level, he has put up some solid numbers in Europe. So, let’s see if that can translate into some production in Edmonton.
But there’s another crucial reason why Hallander made sense for the Oilers.
Edmonton Needed to Clear Cap Space
There’s another powerful reason why the Oilers made the move they did. Since the organization is pretty much up against the cap, they had to find a way to clear some cap space.
Hallander comes with an $850K cap hit, which is pretty much half of what Stastney is making this season.
With the math factored in, the Oilers now have about $1.4 million in cap space. It may not sound like a lot, but when injuries hit, that cap space can allow the organization to call someone up from the AHL to fill a need.
That’s why, at the end of the day, the Oilers made a savvy move on Wednesday. While it’s unclear if Hallander will have any sort of real impact, at least the move gives coach Mike Babcock something to work with as regulars return to the lineup from injury.
Oilers Make Predicted ‘Lateral Move’ in Trade with Penguins