Let the Trades Begin: Penguins Acquire Söderblom from Wings

The Penguins continue to corner the market on massive forwards. In his first move of the day, POHO/GM Kyle Dubas acquired towering 6’8”, 252-pound winger Elmer Söderblom from the Red Wings for a third-round pick in the 2026 Entry Draft.

I confess, I know little about him other than the fact that the 24-year-old’s one massive human being and a former sixth-round pick of the Wings (’19). Elmer’s a left shot, but is listed as a right wing on Hockey Reference. Not uncommon for European players.

As for his boxcars? He’s tallied 11 goals and 22 points in 86 NHL games spread over three seasons including this one, which roughly translates into a full season. He’s delivered 128 hits, so there’s at least a degree of physicality in his game. Average speed according to NHL edge.

His advanced stats? A bit of a mixed bag with a positive twist—his high-danger chances percentage is consistently good. Perhaps indicating untapped potential around the net.

His overall WAR, according to JFresh, is just 19 percent. Oddly, his even-strength offensive WAR (69) and even-strength defensive WAR (51) are much higher.

Acquiring a player of Söderblom’s gargantuan dimensions makes me wonder if one of our other two behemoth forwards, Justin Brazeau or Anthony Mantha, might be in play.

UPDATE

Since this was our only trade of the day, a little follow-up regarding the physical side of Söderblom’s game.

I decided to look him up on HockeyFights.com to see if he had any scraps. I found one, back on December 28, 2024, while he was playing in the AHL for the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Following a faceoff, Söderblom skates to the slot and fires off a shot before delivering a shot of a different kind to Cleveland Monsters forward Owen Sillinger, who’s sent flying.

Sillinger recovers and pursues Söderblom, only to bounce off the hulking Swede like a ping-pong ball being tossed against a brick wall.

Sillinger again approaches and delivers a slash and a cross-check. A scrum ensues as a couple of his larger Monsters teammates mix it up with Söderblom, including Joseph LaBate, a capable and seasoned fighter. Söderblom appears to land several rights and dispatch LaBate with ease.

Nice to know that, should push come to shove, Elmer can handle himself.