PITTSBURGH — Defenseman Spencer Stastney made his Pittsburgh Penguins debut Saturday, helping Pittsburgh to a 3-2 shootout win over the Dallas Stars in Pittsburgh just days after being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in a trade for forward Filip Hallander.
The 26-year-old was paired alongside Kris Letang and earned praise from head coach Dan Muse for his skating, anticipation and ability to adjust quickly to a new team following the midweek move.
Pittsburgh also assigned defenseman Ilya Solovyov to its American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday afternoon after he went unclaimed on waivers. Former Penguins defenseman Mathew Dumba, who spent last season with Pittsburgh but spent the bulk of his professional career with the Minnesota Wild, announced his retirement from the NHL.
Around the league, the New York Rangers are preparing to move forward without star goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who will miss the remainder of the season with a lower-body injury, leaving rookie Dylan Garand primed for an expanded role despite limited NHL experience. The Carolina Hurricanes remain open to bringing back restricted free agent defenseman Alexander Nikishin despite his absence from training camp amid a contract dispute, and New Jersey Devils forward Evan Rodrigues was fined $5,000 for high-sticking Vancouver Canucks forward Marco Rossi in New Jersey's 4-1 win Saturday.