Spencer Stastney Sent to the AHL; What's Next for the Predators Defenseman?

The Nashville Predators announced Monday that defenseman Spencer Stastney was re-assigned to the AHL Milwaukee Admirals, ending a month-long stint in the NHL.

Stastney, 25, was called up by the Predators on Jan. 2, appearing in seven games and recording zero points. The Predators' 2018 fifth-round pick made his season debut against the Vancouver Canucks in Vancouver, playing 17:54 of ice time.

At the same time, though, Stastney's ice time fluctuated as time went on, as did his place in the lineup. Stastney played a season-low 11:06 in the 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, rotating into game action as the seventh defenseman.

So, what's next for Stastney? The 25-year-old is on the older side as a prospect and has just 35 NHL games to his name at this point despite impressing at times in limited action. Now that Adam Wilsby has returned from his injury, head coach Andrew Brunette and the Predators needed to find a way to strike a balance with their young defensemen.

At the end of the day, playing 11 minutes as sixth and seventh defencemen was quickly identified by the team as not conducive to the development of either player, hence Monday's transaction.

It is also worth acknowledging that Stastney missed all of training camp and most of the first half of the season tending to a personal issue, which caused him to make his AHL season debut on Dec. 7.

So far, the Woodbridge, Ill., native has one goal, two assists, and three points in 10 AHL games this season. It would not be a stretch to say that Stastney's development going forward could determine his future as an NHLer.

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