Going into training camp, the Penguins’ forward depth was a big storyline. It has remained one as players have been in and out of the lineup for different reasons.
Dan Muse has been forced to make some difficult decisions, ones he said keep you up at night as a coach, as no one has really deserved to be scratched.
With star winger and seven-time 20-goal scorer Bryan Rust making his season debut on Wednesday night, Penguins management had to make the hard choice to part ways with Filip Hallander, who made Pittsburgh’s opening-night roster after missing most of last season with a blood clot.
The Penguins sent Hallander to Edmonton in exchange for Spencer Stastney, this time adding to their defensive depth.
“By looking at past performances and future potential, Filip was the player we determined as expendable,” Penguins Assistant GM Jason Spezza said via email to local reporters.
“In our trade discussions, the Oilers had interest in Filip, while we had interest in Stastney. We hold Filip in high regard as a player and person, especially after the adversity he faced, and overcame, last season, but we had to give up a player of his quality in order to get Stastney in return.”
After free agency opened this summer, Spezza talked about the accumulation of right-handed defensemen, which meant players used to playing on their strong side would have to switch. Stastney adds another left-handed shot to the mix, along with the ability to play the right as needed.
“He will be competing with our existing defensemen for ice time,” Spezza said. “Stastney is a great skating defenseman that is at his best when he is asserting himself defensively and offensively, using his legs, retrieving pucks and moving pucks into the forwards’ hands.“
