Penguins acquire Spencer Stastney from Oilers for Filip Hallander

An early-season trade that saw two NHL caliber players swapped for one another went down Wednesday afternoon, as the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they have landed defenseman Spencer Stastney from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for forward Filip Hallander.

Stastney, a 26-year-old left-shot blueliner, has yet to appear in a game during this young season but took part in 66 regular season contests last year, which he split between the Oilers and Nashville Predators. Edmonton acquired him mid-season in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick.

The native of Illinois had 10 points on two goals and eight assists last season. Stastney spent four years playing collegiate hockey at the University of Notre Dame before turning pro with the Predators, who picked him in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft.

Stastney will help address a dearth of left-handed defensemen on Pittsburgh’s NHL roster, as the team’s current group of six consists of four righties and two lefties. Declan Carlile and Samuel Girard occupy the left side alongside off-season acquisition Trevor van Riemsdyk, who is playing on his off-side. Stastney is slated to be an unrestricted free agent after this year, and his contract carries a salary cap hit of $1.525 million.

With this trade, the Oilers add a 26-year-old forward with some prospect pedigree who has gotten off to a strong start to the year. Through two games, Hallander has notched a goal and two assists, running his career NHL total to two goals and five assists for seven points in 18 games spread across four seasons.

Hallander first came over to North America in 2021, but after two solid AHL seasons, he went back to Timra IK of the SHL, where he racked up 53 points in 51 games in 2024-25 before ultimately rejoining the Penguins’ organization last season.