Penguins forward Filip Hallander is finally on the other side of a scary stretch that wiped out most of his last season, and he’s got one more checkpoint before training camp begins in Pittsburgh.
Hallander was limited to 13 games with the Penguins and three more with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after dealing with blood clots. While he was down in the minors, the team ran more tests and found an issue with his lung, which brought his season to an early end. The good news: he says he’s recovered from both problems.
In a recent interview with Hockey Sverige’s Andreas Larsson, Hallander said he has fully recovered, though there’s still one hurdle left. He will go through one final test after arriving in Pittsburgh for training camp, and if that goes well, he’ll be cleared to take part in camp fully and compete for a roster spot. Hallander is entering the second and final year of his deal, which carries an $850K cap hit, and he’ll be waiver-eligible if he doesn’t make the Penguins.
Elsewhere in the Metropolitan, former NHL winger Blake Wheeler is moving on from the Rangers organization. Vince Z.
Mercogliano of The Athletic relays that Wheeler has left New York’s front office and is heading back home to Minnesota. Wheeler wrapped up his playing career with the Rangers in 2024, stayed in the area afterward, spent two years coaching junior hockey in Connecticut, and then worked last season as a Hockey Operations Advisor.
That role now appears to have been a one-year stop.
In Washington, Dylan Strome’s younger brother is sticking around. The Capitals’ AHL affiliate in Hershey announced that Matthew Strome has been re-signed to a one-year AHL contract.
The 27-year-old is set for his fifth season with the Bears and is coming off his third straight year with at least 20 points. Last season, he played 55 games and posted eight goals and 15 assists.
His most memorable moment in Hershey came in 2024, when he scored the Calder Cup-winning goal against Coachella Valley.
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The Penguins draft-night maneuvering reached further into the future than many expected, with Ottawa recently showing that Pittsburgh had tried to get in position for the 2026 draft. Behind-the-scenes content from the Senators revealed the Penguins put a roster player on the table in an effort to land Ottawas 25th overall pick, a move that underscored how aggressively they were working the board even with no immediate deal in hand.
Ottawa passed on the proposal and used the pick on Swedish winger Jonas Lagerberg-Hoen instead, leaving Pittsburghs exact offer out in the open for now. The player involved was not identified, and the lack of a completed trade leaves only the sense that the Penguins were willing to part with a current piece for a shot at a higher-end future selection. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Offseason Leaves Kyle Dubas Facing Real Pressure
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Dubas is also operating against a backdrop of constant league chatter, from trade speculation involving Calgary and Anaheim to the broader sense that contenders are trying to find an edge wherever they can. For the Penguins, the pressure is less about one splashy transaction than the cumulative impression left by an offseason that has not yet fully answered the biggest questions. The Metro has given Pittsburgh little room to drift, and with the division reloading around them, the next step in Dubas plan feels increasingly important. [Read more 🡒]
Ville Koivunen Now Faces Real Pressure After Penguins Commitment
Ville Koivunen has gone from promising newcomer to a player with real expectations attached after signing an eight-year deal with the Penguins. The 23-year-old right winger enters the next phase of his career with plenty of organizational belief behind him, but also with the uneven track record that made this commitment feel as much about projection as payoff.
Kyle Dubas has made it clear the contract is rooted in Koivunens future potential and the work he has put into his preparation, but there is still no automatic path to an NHL job waiting for him. He will have to keep showing it in training camp and beyond, because a roster spot is not being handed over just because the Penguins invested in him for the long haul. [Read more 🡒]