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NICK WASS \/ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they are going to have a conversation here in the coming days. What that entails, we\u2019ll see. I\u2019ll leave that to my agent Pat (Morris) to deal with,\u201d Stanley said during a one-on-one conversation on Wednesday afternoon. \u201cI love playing here. It\u2019s been my home and this organization treats everyone like family.\u201d<\/p>\n
The one thing about the situation Stanley finds himself in is that there\u2019s no playbook on how to navigate the potential potholes.<\/p>\n
\u201cNope,\u201d Stanley conceded. \u201cI haven\u2019t (sought) out any advice. You lean on your family and friends. The guys are good.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone knows what is going on. Everybody sees the rumours and what-not. I\u2019ll just take it day-by-day and see how it plays out.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the course of the conversation, Stanley was quick to acknowledge the growing pains he\u2019s endured during his time with the Jets, which have included several frustrating injuries and frequent healthy scratches at various points in his career.<\/p>\n
But after finding his footing last season, Stanley has taken his game to another level.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve grown up here since I was 20. I\u2019ve been here eight years now,\u201d said Stanley. \u201cIt\u2019s a good league and there have been some setbacks, with injuries, that didn\u2019t help. That following year, just being so healthy all year but it was tough to get games. I\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re never satisfied. There\u2019s always something in the game that you can improve,\u201d said Stanley. \u201cIf 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the course of 82 games, you\u2019re going to have a stinker or two or three. It\u2019s just about trying to stay consistent and be reliable. I\u2019ve done a pretty good job of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stanley\u2019s progression has caught the attention of his teammates.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been fantastic. Obviously, his offensive numbers are speaking for themselves,\u201d said Jets forward Cole Perfetti. \u201cYou guys see that, a career-high in goals and points. He\u2019s playing great offensively, but his defensive game has also been fantastic. He\u2019s been a rock back there.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s such a big guy. He\u2019s hard to go in the corner with, his stick is so long that it\u2019s 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\u2019s dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019 staff.<\/p>\n
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).<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the team aspect, we\u2019d like to be in a different position,\u201d said Stanley. \u201cBut it\u2019s been fun to enjoy the good times personally. You\u2019re just trying to improve your game every day and build on it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more I\u2019m on the ice, the better my game is because you\u2019re into it and your legs are going. It\u2019s not easy to play every fifth or sixth shift. That\u2019s been huge.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The idea was to add some agility at a time when the pace of the game continues to rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy straight away speed is a little better. It\u2019s not that I\u2019m flying around out there, but it makes a difference, for sure,\u201d said Stanley. \u201cFor me, I still have my strength and you don\u2019t want to lose that. To be a little quicker and more agile has helped.\u201d<\/p>\n
The meteoric rise to approaching double digits in goals after five consecutive one-goal campaigns is impressive in itself, but Stanley\u2019s offensive explosion hasn\u2019t included a massive rise in risk profile. And scoring early in the season built some confidence that\u2019s spilled over into other aspects of his game.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne hundred per cent. It translates through the whole game,\u201d said Stanley. \u201cYou feel confident with breakouts and playing in the D-zone, which is something I\u2019m still trying to improve on and develop.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinishing plays quickly and being able to make that first pass. The hardest part in our game is breaking the puck out\u2026 so that\u2019s another thing where it\u2019s important that I\u2019m a little lighter, a little quicker, so you have that extra half second to make that play.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n
\t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t With the clock ticking, it won\u2019t be long before finding out if Stanley will remain with the Jets or potentially find himself with a new home for the stretch drive.<\/p>\n Especially when you consider Stanley\u2019s US$1.25 million annual average value, there should be a fairly long line of suitors for his services if the Jets can\u2019t get him signed to an extension.<\/p>\n \u201cIf something else comes along, that\u2019s the business part of it and it\u2019s out of your control,\u201d said Stanley. \u201cBut I have nothing but good things to say about the organization.<\/p>\n \u201cI would love to stay. I\u2019ve made that clear to my agent. We\u2019ll see what transpires in the coming weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/kenwiebe<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Ken Wiebe 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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