Trade completed for a big center by the Oilers: Stan Bowman opens up about depth

Stan Bowman wasted no time explaining why the Edmonton Oilers wanted Filip Hallander, and he spoke Wednesday like a GM who'd been circling for years.

Heading into tonight's game in Anaheim, the 26-year-old center arrives from Pittsburgh carrying an $850,000 cap hit.

"We've been interested in his game since his time in Sweden," Bowman said.

The GM listed offensive instincts, playmaking ability and competitiveness. Then he tied it straight to the bench, saying the Swede should "fit perfectly with the way Mike wants our players to play."

That's Mike Babcock's system getting name-checked in a depth move. Babcock was hired June 23, and every roster call in Edmonton now runs through his structure.

And the Sweden comment isn't just flattery. Hallander put up 53 points in 51 games with Timrå IK in 2024-25, including 26 goals.

Edmonton's crease problem is bigger than any depth center

Pittsburgh drafted him 58th overall in 2018, and he never stuck. Over his NHL career, he's played 18 games with seven points.

He'd shown a little something with the Penguins this fall, though. Three points in two games, plus a shorthanded assist and a +4 rating.

So where does he slot? The bottom six has been leaking, with Colton Dach, Max Jones and Kasperi Kapanen each sitting at minus-4.

Joshua Samanski has two games and no points. A left-shot center who can work the PK gives Babcock a cheap option at the bottom of the lineup.

The top of the roster doesn't need help. Connor McDavid has nine points through three games, and Evan Bouchard already has four goals from the blue line.

Here's the problem. Edmonton's goaltending is a mess, and a depth forward doesn't touch it.

Devon Levi sits at a .810 save percentage. Tristan Jarry is at .739, the kind of number that earns a goalie a long look at the bench door.

Adding Hallander right now is like reorganizing the spice rack while the stove's on fire. Nice touch. Wrong emergency.

The Oilers are 2-0-1 anyway, scoring 17 goals in three games while allowing 14.

That math works in October. Whether it survives a road trip through Anaheim, San Jose and Los Angeles is another question entirely.

Hallander's deal expires after this season, with unrestricted free agency waiting. Babcock now has to decide fast whether the Swede is a real fit or just another name on the depth chart.

-

Also read on Markerzone.com:
Sports doctor provides unsettling injury analysis of Brad Marchand