Nashville Predators 2024-25 Player Spotlight: Spencer Stastney looks to establish himself in NHL

If there is anything that Nashville Predators fans have learned over the past few years, it is that it is tough for coveted youngsters to get consistent playing time, no matter who the head coach is.

Many of those guys within the organization did not play as much as the fans had hoped, but it was still easy to see who General Manager Barry Trotz and Head Coach Andrew Brunette thought highly of, and who they did not as much.

One of the guys they clearly like a lot is Spencer Stastney, who is on a nice trajectory in terms of his promise at the NHL level. He played at the tail end of the 2022-23 season and played well, and continued that early on in the 2023-24 season.

Stastney was sent back down to Milwaukee and stayed there for most of last year, but got some time in Nashville again when injuries piled up on the back end. He took advantage of that opportunity and turned it into an appearance in the playoffs, getting into the lineup even over a healthy Dante Fabbro.

Stastney unfortunately got knocked out of the playoffs due to an injury, but it did not change the fact that the future was bright for the young man.

Stasntey's skillset has given Nashville Predators reason to believe

Now Stastney has only played 31 total games at the NHL level, three of which have been in the playoffs, so he is still very unproven in the grand scheme of things. But from the sample size we have, there is nothing but good things to say about his play.

He is one of those offensively inclined defensemen, and that part of his game really sticks out when you watch. He is a really good skater throughout all 200 feet of the ice, and he has shown that he can shoot the puck too.

He has two goals and four assists in the games he has played, and considering his inexperience and that he has not gotten much ice time yet, that is really promising. The underlying numbers have said the same especially about his offensive game, which is really good to see.

He is no slouch defensively either, and has shown that he can neutralize opposing offense. He knows where to go and be, and his skating helps massively in this regard too, as he can get from one end of the ice to the other quickly and efficiently.

Ever since Stastney has jumped onto the NHL scene, the arrow has pointed up and continued to stay that way. It will be really fun to see what he can do this year, assuming this will be the most NHL action he has seen so far in his career.

Stastney will get opportunities with Predators, but must be earned

Even for as much promise as Stastney has, he is still nowhere near the point in his career where he can be assured of a spot in the lineup. He obviously is not seeing top four action yet, and with Fabbro still in the fold, there is plenty of competition at the bottom with seven clear NHL caliber defensemen on the organization's NHL roster alone.

It should also be noted that training camp has not helped his chances to make the opening night roster, as he has been out for personal reasons. Fair or not, missing the chance to evaluate him early on is going to hurt, especially since it looks like Tanner Molendyk has been turning heads.

Now obviously this is no reason to panic for his career, and the biggest worry of all is if Stastney himself is ok, as nobody actually knows why he has been out. But assuming he is able to come back, he will get his fair share of action.

He played 20 games last regular season, and you would have to think he is going to see quite a few more than that this year. He played a lot of his time with Luke Schenn, who is still on the team, and their play styles complement each other well, so it is likely that those two are paired together as well.

It is a little early to give predictions as far as Stastney's point totals since he has not played much yet, so my main prediction for him this year is that he sets a career high 55 regular season games this year. If he can do that, it would be a huge step for his career, and keep that arrow pointed up as everyone expects.