Logan Stanley has been around long enough to know that, in the NHL, deadlines usually spur action.
And with the March 6 NHL trade deadline rapidly approaching, Stanley recognizes he is both a prime candidate for a contract extension and a valuable trade chip — if a dollar value and term cannot be reached at some point during the next several weeks — as he is a pending unrestricted free agent on July 1 for the first time in his career.
The towering defenceman has spent the past decade in the Winnipeg Jets organization after being chosen 18th overall in the 2016 NHL draft and he’s done his part to enhance his value on both fronts by delivering career-highs in goals (nine) and points (18) through 55 games this season.
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Winnipeg Jets defenceman Logan Stanley has had a meteoric rise in offensive output this season and is poised to hit double digits in goals for the first time in his NHL career.
“I think they are going to have a conversation here in the coming days. What that entails, we’ll see. I’ll leave that to my agent Pat (Morris) to deal with,” Stanley said during a one-on-one conversation on Wednesday afternoon. “I love playing here. It’s been my home and this organization treats everyone like family.”
The one thing about the situation Stanley finds himself in is that there’s no playbook on how to navigate the potential potholes.
“Nope,” Stanley conceded. “I haven’t (sought) out any advice. You lean on your family and friends. The guys are good.
“Everyone knows what is going on. Everybody sees the rumours and what-not. I’ll just take it day-by-day and see how it plays out.”
During the course of the conversation, Stanley was quick to acknowledge the growing pains he’s endured during his time with the Jets, which have included several frustrating injuries and frequent healthy scratches at various points in his career.
But after finding his footing last season, Stanley has taken his game to another level.
“I’ve grown up here since I was 20. I’ve been here eight years now,” said Stanley. “It’s a good league and there have been some setbacks, with injuries, that didn’t help. That following year, just being so healthy all year but it was tough to get games. I’m grateful they were patient and I thought last year I built my game a little bit and got that good feeling back. This year has obviously been another good step in the right direction.”
Stanley has been open and honest about his willingness to continue to build on his offensive growth while digging in to ensure his defensive game takes another step forward.
“You’re never satisfied. There’s always something in the game that you can improve,” said Stanley. “If you had 20 good shifts and one bad one, you want to eliminate that (bad one). There are always ways to improve. If you have an off night, you regroup the next morning and forget about it.
“Over the course of 82 games, you’re going to have a stinker or two or three. It’s just about trying to stay consistent and be reliable. I’ve done a pretty good job of that.”
Stanley’s progression has caught the attention of his teammates.
“He’s been fantastic. Obviously, his offensive numbers are speaking for themselves,” said Jets forward Cole Perfetti. “You guys see that, a career-high in goals and points. He’s playing great offensively, but his defensive game has also been fantastic. He’s been a rock back there.
“He’s such a big guy. He’s hard to go in the corner with, his stick is so long that it’s hard to attack him. And then, when he has the patience and the poise to then get the puck, hold a guy off or find the first read or the second read and make the play, it’s dangerous.”
Jets head coach Scott Arniel has worked with Stanley throughout the past four seasons, running the defence corps for the first two when he was an associate coach on Rick Bowness’ staff.
Arniel has been impressed with how Stanley has handled the additional responsibilities heaped upon him this season, which has led to him averaging a career-high 16:33 of ice time (up substantially from his 15:09 career average).
“With the team aspect, we’d like to be in a different position,” said Stanley. “But it’s been fun to enjoy the good times personally. You’re just trying to improve your game every day and build on it.
“The more I’m on the ice, the better my game is because you’re into it and your legs are going. It’s not easy to play every fifth or sixth shift. That’s been huge.”
Stanley believes another reason for his pivotal step forward was related to his off-season training, as he worked hard to shed between 10 and 12 pounds, moving from around 240 pounds to between 228 and 232.
The idea was to add some agility at a time when the pace of the game continues to rise.
“My straight away speed is a little better. It’s not that I’m flying around out there, but it makes a difference, for sure,” said Stanley. “For me, I still have my strength and you don’t want to lose that. To be a little quicker and more agile has helped.”
The meteoric rise to approaching double digits in goals after five consecutive one-goal campaigns is impressive in itself, but Stanley’s offensive explosion hasn’t included a massive rise in risk profile. And scoring early in the season built some confidence that’s spilled over into other aspects of his game.
“One hundred per cent. It translates through the whole game,” said Stanley. “You feel confident with breakouts and playing in the D-zone, which is something I’m still trying to improve on and develop.
“Finishing plays quickly and being able to make that first pass. The hardest part in our game is breaking the puck out… so that’s another thing where it’s important that I’m a little lighter, a little quicker, so you have that extra half second to make that play.”
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With the clock ticking, it won’t be long before finding out if Stanley will remain with the Jets or potentially find himself with a new home for the stretch drive.
Especially when you consider Stanley’s US$1.25 million annual average value, there should be a fairly long line of suitors for his services if the Jets can’t get him signed to an extension.
“If something else comes along, that’s the business part of it and it’s out of your control,” said Stanley. “But I have nothing but good things to say about the organization.
“I would love to stay. I’ve made that clear to my agent. We’ll see what transpires in the coming weeks.”
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Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken.
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