Metropolitan Notes: Hallander, Barzal, Noesen
Penguins prospect Filip Hallander was stretchered off the ice late in yesterday’s AHL game between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Charlotte, relays Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The injury occurred off a faceoff with his legs getting tied up with a Charlotte player, causing him to fall to the ice, landing on the side of his head. Play was quickly whistled down as the 22-year-old was motionless on the ice and the game was called at that point. The team released a brief statement this morning (Twitter link) indicating that he has been released from the hospital and is resting at home. They will not be providing any further information about the injury at this time.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Islanders center Mathew Barzal was a late scratch in Friday’s loss to Calgary due to what was termed a tweak, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). It’s likely that the issue was sustained the night before in Edmonton. Barzal took part in the pregame warmup so it’s likely his absence will be a short-term one. The 25-year-old has had a bit of a bounce-back season offensively and is on pace for numbers comparable to his rookie season when he had 22 goals and 85 points.
- Hurricanes winger Stefan Noesen isn’t expected to play today against Columbus, reports team reporter Walt Ruff (Twitter link). After playing sparingly with Carolina last season, the 29-year-old is on pace for a career year with eight goals and a dozen assists through his first 37 games played which is pretty strong production for someone averaging just over 12 minutes a game in ice time. While there’s no word on how long Noesen will be out, it doesn’t appear that this will be a long-term absence.
Pittsburgh Penguins Activate Teddy Blueger
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that forward Teddy Blueger has been activated off of injured reserve. In a corresponding move, forward Filip Hallander was re-assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins.
This move puts Blueger in line to make his season debut. He’s missed all of the Penguins’ games this season after suffering an upper-body injury in the preseason. Last year, Blueger scored a healthy nine goals and 28 points in 65 games while also contributing as the team’s most heavily-utilized penalty-killing forward.
In Blueger’s absence, the Penguins have run offseason trade acquisition Ryan Poehling as the team’s fourth-line center. With Blueger now healthy, Poehling’s time in Blueger’s spot in the lineup may have come to an end.
The 23-year-old Poehling hasn’t been outright bad this year, but his three points in 15 games are definitely lower than the production the Penguins could expect out of Blueger. Poehling has also functioned in Blueger’s role as the Penguins’ top penalty-killing center so far this year, but with the team’s penalty kill ranked ninth-worst in the NHL with a 75.5% kill rate, it’s likely that Blueger resumes his role there as well.
The Penguins haven’t looked like a contender so far this season and currently sit second-to-last in the Metropolitan Division. While the team’s issues may run deeper than just not having their ideal fourth-line center, getting Blueger back from injury is certainly a positive development.
As for Hallander, the 22-year-old prospect forward has gotten off to a scorching hot start with AHL Wilkes-Barre Scranton. He has nine points in 10 games so far this year and should remain near the top of the team’s depth chart in terms of priority forward call-ups.
Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Filip Hallander
The Pittsburgh Penguins, mired in a seven-game losing streak, have recalled Filip Hallander from the minor leagues. The move follows the assignment of Drew O’Connor to the AHL yesterday.
Hallander, 22, made his NHL debut last season, playing in a single game with the Penguins. He ended up seeing fewer than six minutes of ice time that game, meaning his next appearance will likely be more impactful.
He also might be more suited for the NHL this time around. Hallander has been excellent in the AHL this year, posting four goals and nine points in ten games for the Wilkes-Barr/Scranton Penguins. While he was selected four years ago and has already been included in two trades, it’s easy to forget just how little experience he has in North America.
Last season was his first taste of the AHL, and he scored 14 goals and 28 points in 61 games. If given an entire year he looks poised to blow those numbers out of the water, even if his offensive profile isn’t expected to be what gets him to the NHL.
That would be his defensive game, as a versatile option whose natural position is center. If the Penguins decide to mix up the bottom six, Hallander will be an interesting piece to insert.
Filip Hallander Recalled By Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins could have a new face in the lineup this evening, as Filip Hallander has been recalled under emergency conditions. The young forward would be making his NHL debut should he join the lineup against the New York Rangers this evening.
Hallander’s career so far has been an interesting one. Originally drafted by the Penguins in 2018, he was part of the trade that brought Kasperi Kapanen to Pittsburgh in 2020. Less than a year later he was on his way back to the Penguins in the pre-expansion Jared McCann trade before he had ever even played in North America.
This season, his first with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL, the 21-year-old forward has ten goals and 24 points in 53 games. While those numbers don’t pop off the page, Hallander has been praised for his two-way play dating back to his draft year. His ceiling was always likely that of a third-line forward in the NHL, if he reaches that level on a full-time basis at all.
It’s Hallander’s play in the NHL, whenever his debut does happen, that will ask some interesting questions about the future. Teddy Blueger, who represents the team’s checking-line center, is signed through next season but is a pending UFA in the summer of 2023. Versatile Evan Rodrigues and trade deadline pickup Rickard Rakell are both pending UFAs this summer. Then there is the core trio of Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Bryan Rust, who are all set to hit the open market–or land new, expensive contracts with the Penguins–this year. All of this uncertainty means that players on entry-level deals will become extremely important. Hallander is still signed through next season on that very inexpensive ELC, making him an intriguing piece to watch down the stretch if he finds his way into the lineup.
Metropolitan Notes: Korpisalo, Bayreuther, Kreider, Hallander
Although Columbus recently inked goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to a five-year extension, fellow netminder Joonas Korpisalo told reporters, including Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch, that he hopes to still be able to remain with the Blue Jackets beyond the expiration of his current contract next summer. The 27-year-old has spent his entire career with the organization after being drafted in the third round back in 2012 but has largely been in a backup role during that stretch. With the commitment they’ve made to Merzlikins, Korpisalo, who is hoping to be cleared to return from his lower-body injury soon, will have a hard time landing a lot more than his $2.8MM AAV as the high-end backup market is typically in the mid-to-high $3MM range.
More from the Metropolitan Division:
- Still with Columbus, while defenseman Gavin Bayreuther’s time with Seattle was limited, it wasn’t due to a lack of interest from the Kraken. The blueliner told Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets’ team site that he did receive a two-way offer from Seattle but knew that he’d be viewed as a player that was likely ticketed for the minors. Instead, he went to free agency and returned to Columbus where he feels he’ll have a better chance of sticking with the big club. Bayreuther averaged just over 15 minutes in nine games with Columbus last season.
- The Rangers are shifting winger Chris Kreider to his off-wing, notes Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The lefty will play on the right side with sophomore Alexis Lafreniere not being comfortable in that spot at this time. The move should allow Kreider to play a little higher in the lineup with youngsters Kaapo Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov not yet ready for heavier workloads though that could change in-season.
- Penguins prospect Filip Hallander returned to full practice today after missing the start of training camp due to a lower-body injury, relays Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 21-year-old was re-acquired from Toronto back in July for forward Jared McCann and could push for a spot at the end of the roster to start the season.