PITTSBURGH — The Penguins swung a trade just before the NHL froze rosters on Saturday, moving Jared McCann to Toronto in exchange for forward prospect Filip Hallander and a seventh-round pick in the 2023 draft, a source confirmed to the Post-Gazette.
McCann, 25, netted 14 goals and dished 18 assists in 43 games this season. The versatile winger played both center and wing during his two-and-a-half year Penguins tenure. He also contributed on the top power play last year during Evgeni Malkin’s absence.
The timing of the deal is what made it possible.
NHL teams are required to submit their expansion draft protection list by 5 p.m. on Saturday. McCann figured to be one of the tougher decisions on the roster. On one hand, he’s shown versatility and offensive upside. At the same time, he’s endured cold streaks that ultimately led him to be a healthy scratch in the playoff bubble two postseasons ago.
Per a source, the Penguins planned to leave McCann unprotected. By moving him now, they acquire a pick in a prospect in exchange for a player they might have otherwise lost for nothing.
For Hallander, it’s a reunion of sorts. The 21-year-old Swedish forward was selected by the Penguins in the second round (58th overall) of the 2018 draft. He was then traded to Toronto last offseason as a part of the Kasperi Kapanen deal. Now the 6-1, 195-pound power forward has boomeranged back to Pittsburgh.
