The Nashville Predators need to continue to work and figure things out because as a Stanley Cup contender heading into the season, the team has not played like one.
Injuries haven’t been a cause for the poor play, but there is some good news on that front for the Predators. Mark Jankowski, who was dealing with an upper body injury, is expected to play in the game against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. He was out of the lineup against the Edmonton Oilers in which the Predators had their four-game point streak snapped.
Related: Predators Snap 4-Game Point Streak with 5-1 Loss to Oilers
Spencer Stastney has been on the non-roster list for the entirety of this season while dealing with something personal. While he was placed on that list Monday, his expected return date is November 4. It remains to be seen whether he will get the majority of his playing time in the NHL with the Predators or in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals this season.
Stastney should be seen as a piece that will be around for a while, but he was signed to a two-year deal this off-season where the first year is a two-way contract. He got much more playing time in the AHL where he played 44 games last season compared to 20 in the NHL.
The 24-year-old doesn’t have anything left to prove in the minors and has great underlying numbers in the NHL. In Stastney’s place, Marc Del Gaizo has not only been on the roster, but playing over Dante Fabbro who is turning into a trade candidate at this rate.
Stastney would do well again on the third pairing and that is where he should return to when coming back to action. He hasn’t played a game this season at either level, so he could also be eased back in. Nashville needs a spark this season either way.
The Predators are better off with Jankowski and Stastney on the roster and in the lineup, so the team will get the bump really soon.
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