Penguins forward Filip Hallander missed most of last season due to blood clots. He was limited to just 13 games with Pittsburgh and three more with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. While on assignment in the minors, more tests were done with the team discovering an issue with his lung, ending his year prematurely. Fortunately, he is recovering well. In a recent interview with Hockey Sverige’s Andreas Larsson, he noted that he has fully recovered from both issues although there is still one more hurdle to clear. He will undergo one last test once he arrives in Pittsburgh for training camp and if things go well, he’ll be cleared to be a full participant in training camp and push for a spot on the roster. Hallander is in the second and final year of his contract with a cap hit of $850K and is waiver-eligible if he can’t crack Pittsburgh’s lineup.
More from the Metropolitan:
After spending last season as a Hockey Operations Advisor with the Rangers, former NHL winger Blake Wheeler is moving on. Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that he has departed New York’s front office to move home to Minnesota. Wheeler finished up his playing career in 2024 with the Rangers and remained in the area, spending two years coaching junior hockey in Connecticut while adding the advisor role last season, a role that winds up being one-and-done.
Dylan Strome’s younger brother will remain in the Capitals organization. Washington’s farm team in Hershey announced that they’ve re-signed forward Matthew Strome to a one-year AHL deal. The 27-year-old will begin his fifth season with the franchise and is coming off his third straight season of at least 20 points. Strome played in 55 games with the Bears last season, notching eight goals and 15 assists. His tenure in Hershey is best known from 2024, however, when he scored the Calder Cup-winning goal against Coachella Valley.