A late off-season addition, Paul Stastny was supposed to be a veteran center who would play a bottom six role but could slot up to the 2C spot should Jesperi Kotkaniemi not be ready for the role. It gave the team comfort knowing they had a backup plan for Kotkaniemi with a player who regularly scored on pace for over 40 points in his career plus they were getting a veteran guy trying to win a Stanley Cup.
That plan never really came together because for as much as Kotkaniemi struggled to start the season, Stastny’s struggles were far worse.