Penguins A to Z: Filip Larsson has a chance to get his career back on track
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With the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2023-24 season coming to an end without any postseason action, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 52 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until next season — with the organization, from fourth-line center Noel Acciari to reserve winger Radim Zohorna.
This series is scheduled to be published every weekday leading into the second day of the NHL Draft on June 29.
(Note: All contract information courtesy of Cap Friendly.)
Filip Larsson
Position: Goaltender
Catches: Left
Age: 25
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 194 pounds
2023-24 SHL statistics: 28 games, 19-9-0 record, 1.93 goals against average, .920 save percentage, five shutouts
2023-24 SHL postseason statistics: Five games, 3-2-0 record, 1.91 goals against average, .929 save percentage, one shutout
Contract: Entering a two-year, two-way contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2026
Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing, April 29, 2024
This season: The pandemic changed a lot of things on a global scale such as health care, politics and the world economy.
Much further down the list of items that were altered is the career trajectory of Filip Larsson.
A sixth-round pick (No. 167 overall) of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2016 NHL Draft, Larsson was once seen as the goaltender of the future for that organization. After strong showings during 2017-18 season with the Tri-City Storm of the United States Hockey League and the 2018-19 season at the NCAA level with the University of Denver, Larsson offered plenty of optimism.
His first professional season in 2019-20 was split between the Red Wings’ minor league affiliates, the Grand Rapid Griffins of the American Hockey League and the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, but things – everything really – came to a halt in March of 2020 when the effects of the pandemic halted most sports leagues around the earth.
As the NHL remained idle in the fall of 2020, many teams loaned what prospects they could to teams in Europe where competition forged on through the pandemic. For the Red Wings, they allowed Larsson to join Almtuna IS of the Allsvenksen, the second-tier league in his native Sweden.
Over the next two seasons, Larsson bounced between the Allsvensken and Denmark’s Metal Liagen. During the 2021-22 season, he led Kristianstads IK to the Allsvensken championships and a promotion to the top-tier Swedish Hockey League.
By the 2022 offseason, Larsson’s three-year entry-level contract expired and the Red Wings declined to extend him a qualifying offer, allowing the goaltender to become an unrestricted free agent with regard to his NHL status.
That led to Larsson signing with Leksands IF of the SHL for the 2023-24 campaign. Helping Leksands IF finish in fifth place, Larsson had the SHL’s best goals-against average among qualifying goaltenders and was tied for the league lead in shutouts.
Filip Larsson bjuder på en fin "slajdning" ???? när han stoppar Oscar Lindberg från att reducera.#SKELIF #SHL #twittpuck #ishockey #svsshl pic.twitter.com/pzm0kkvDf5
— SHL.se (@SHLse) October 28, 2023
After losing to Frolunda HC in the quarterfinal round, Larsson signed with the Penguins in late April.
The future: The Penguins’ goaltending depth will likely look different entering the 2024-25 season.
Tristan Jarry remains at the top of the depth chart given the endorsements provided by coach Mike Sullivan and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas following the 2023-24 campaign. After that, things are bound to be shuffled.
Dubas suggested incumbent backup Alex Nedeljkovic could leave via free agency while prospect Joel Blomqvist could graduate to the NHL roster after a strong first season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Presumably, that will allow prospect Taylor Gauthier to move up from Wheeling to duke it out with Larsson for the top job with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
(Barring any other additions this offseason, of course).
Larsson, who turns 26 on Aug. 17, is a worthwhile reclamation project for the Penguins. He never really got a true look as a professional in North America due to circumstances beyond his control then gained traction playing in his home country.
His success this past season led to him being one of the more coveted free agents on the European market and prompted the Penguins to extend a two-year contract.
In an interivew with Swedish outlet Hockey Sverige, Larsson indicated Penguins management has promised every chance to make the NHL roster, though “it might not happen right away.”
If Larsson is a legit NHL talent, that will take some time to play out. But he has an opportunity to get his career back on track.