Penguins forward Filip Hallander is expected to be sidelined for at least the next three month after being diagnosed with a blood clot in one of his legs.
Hallander played in the team’s game against Toronto
early this week and left the ice early on Wednesday when the team said he was dealing with a lower-body issue.
The 24-year-old Penguins forward will be staying in Pittsburgh and missing the team’s upcoming trip to Sweden, where they will play two international games against the Nashville Predators as a part of the NHL’s Global Series.
“It’s terrible,” Penguins head coach Dan Muse said. “At the same time, though, when something like this comes up, this goes way beyond hockey. This is about the person, and I think we’re all very thankful and grateful that the medical staff here was able to figure this out as quickly as they did and now they can start to do everything they need to just get him back on track and take care of him.”
Muse said there is no long-term concern about Hallander’s health.
“This isn’t something that you’re looking at as life-threatening,” Muse said.
Hallander was drafted by the Penguins in 2018 during Jim Rutherford’s tenure as GM, dealt to Toronto, and then re-acquired by GM Ron Hextall, appearing in three games for Pittsburgh between 2021 and 2023 before returning back to Europe for family reasons.
Returning to North America this past offseason, Hallander re-joined the Penguins and had played on the team’s top line alongside Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust prior to being sidelined.
