Early expectations were high for Lander, who was part of a large group of gifted Swedish teenagers selected in the 2009 NHL Draft.

Twenty-four Swedes were drafted that year, with Lander going to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round (No. 40). He was one of many in that draft class who were part of a loaded Team Sweden, which won the bronze medal at the 2010 World Junior Championship.

Lander, a 6-foot, 184-pound center from Sundsvall, the hometown of former NHL forward Fredrik Modin, was a solid performer for that junior team. Still, it wasn't easy for him to go from spending four years with Timra of the Swedish Elite League to landing a full-time spot on the Oilers roster. After breaking into the NHL during the 2011-12 season, he frequently shuttled back and forth between Edmonton and its American Hockey League affiliate, Oklahoma City.

He started slowly, with eight points in his first 94 NHL games. Determined to turn his career around, he impressed during a 29-game AHL stint in 2014-15 and was recalled to the Oilers in December of that season. He had six goals and 20 points in 38 games for Edmonton.

Lander's improved play also earned him a spot with the Swedish national team at the 2015 World Championship. He was penciled in as the Oilers third-line center for 2015-16, and he finally remained with Edmonton for an entire NHL season, playing 61 games.