Stastney Settling In With the Penguins

During a road trip with Edmonton, Spencer Stastney was heading to the team breakfast at their hotel in Anaheim when Oilers GM Stan Bowman pulled the defenseman aside.

“He just said, ‘Hey, moving you to Pittsburgh. Should have a good opportunity to just go there and play well and play hard,’” said Stastney, acquired by the Penguins in exchange for Filip Hallander, as Pittsburgh had to make a move due to their depth at forward.

But since Stastney couldn’t travel right away, he decided to take advantage of the location and having some time to himself before making the adjustment to his second team in about a year. Stastney stopped at Disneyland, mostly to explore the park and go on a couple of rides, saying he particularly enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean.

“I had the day, and we were at that Marriott (close by),” Stastney said. “Just going for a walk, and I'm like, well, let's get in there. I got a day.”

Stastney was able to fly out the following day, and met the Penguins in Columbus a little before 7 PM. He took the ice for morning skate on Friday, but won’t play against the Blue Jackets, as the coaching staff wants to give Stastney time to acclimate.

“There's a lot of hockey to be played, a lot of games coming up,” Dan Muse said. “It’s his first time meeting some of the coaches, his first time meeting some of the players, most of the players. So, it's a new group.

“Gave him a couple of things to look for that might be a little bit different, but you don't want to overwhelm anybody with too much, too soon. I think you want to get your feet underneath you, get acclimated with the group, and that's the priority right now.”

While Stastney acknowledged that the past couple of days has been “pretty crazy,” especially for his fiancé and their pets back in Edmonton, he’s been through a trade before, so it’s not an unfamiliar transition.

He also said that he is in a great spot with his mental health after dealing with some struggles, with Stastney sharing his story on the 32 Thoughts podcast last year.

“I think (the NHLPA Player Assistance Program) really helped me out, and (Predators team psychologist) Vicky Woosley in Nashville. I have a great group of people supporting me, and my personal therapist in Chicago,” Stastney said.

“So, I'm fortunate to be where I am, and I've grown a lot. And I've been through a trade before, and the second time around, I think just getting here with the guys and getting comfortable, and everyone's made it real easy so far. So no, I'm in a good spot, and I'm just ready to go and happy to be here.”

The 26-year-old spent last season split between Edmonton and Nashville, with the Predators originally drafting Stastney in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. Stastney was teammates with Tommy Novak in the Predators organization, playing together in both the AHL and NHL.

“He's a great guy and great player, so it's exciting to be reunited with him,” Novak said. “He's just a kind guy, smart guy. Really interesting to talk to. We've had a couple years there together, so I'm just lucky we're back together. It'll be fun.”

During Stastney’s time with the Milwaukee Admirals, the left-handed shot played mostly on the right. Since getting to the NHL, he’s played there sporadically. Regardless of which side he plays on, having another left-handed shot in a mix largely made up of righties will help.

In addition to that, Stastney’s biggest strength is his skating.

“I think a lot of his game is driven off of that,” Muse said. “I think really good hockey sense as well. He puts himself in good spots. ... whether it's in plays in transition, breakouts, the ability to make reads, little subtle reads. So, those are all things that we've seen in his game.”