Logan Stanley has overcome enough injuries in his career to fully comprehend he couldn’t afford to spend much time feeling sorry for himself after enduring his latest ailment.
The Winnipeg Jets defenceman was preparing for his second game of the preseason when he felt a pop in his knee.
Stanley knew right away it required some attention and it was determined that surgery was necessary to repair an issue with his meniscus.
Tony Gutierrez / The Associated Press
Jets defenceman Logan Stanley (left) levels Logan Stankoven of the Dallas Stars last season.
“It was a pretty harmless thing,” said Stanley, who was a full participant in Thursday’s practice session. “A couple of days later, I was having surgery. It was pretty unfortunate and I was pretty bummed out for a few days, but you get over it and get back to work.”
Stanley came to training camp with an opportunity to compete for regular work on the Jets’ third pairing.
With Colin Miller firmly established on the right side, Stanley was hoping to claim the job beside him and show he’s ready for regular duty.
Instead, he found himself facing another obstacle.
The departure of Brenden Dillon in free agency meant there was more opportunity for Stanley on the left side of the defensive depth chart.
Given Stanley’s size and ability to play a rugged style, he could help compensate for the loss of that part of Dillon’s game while Dylan Samberg moved up the lineup to handle the minutes that were available on the second pairing with Neal Pionk.
“He’s a good leader, a good teammate and someone that I looked up to. Big shoes to fill,” said Stanley. “(Dillon) obviously played an old school, heavy game and that’s what I need to try to do to be an everyday NHLer. For me, it’s trying to do that every night consistently.”
Jets head coach Scott Arniel said Stanley recognizes the style he’ll need to play in order to earn his ice time.
“He knows. He’s been in this league long enough that he knows he has to blend a little bit of all of that,” said Arniel. “We expect our defensemen to make plays, we expect them to defend a certain way — stick detail, support your partner, that sort of thing — but he also knows he has size and when he can be a force.”
There have been times in Stanley’s career when he’s shown the ability to impact the game with a big body check and he’s a willing combatant when the situation calls for it.
Knowing when those elements are best suited is part of his quest for consistency.
“I’ve talked to him, I’m not a big staged fight guy,” said Arniel. “I want him to, if I’m allowed to use this word, piss off the opposition’s best players. If he does that, people will come running for him and he can pick his spots.
“The guys that do the best job, they just irritate the top players to the point where those guys don’t like seeing those guys line up on the face-off against them. That’s what heavy guys do. They make it hard on the opposition.”
Arniel said the Jets aren’t considering a conditioning stint with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League once Stanley is fully cleared for game action.
“No, not really. He’s been on the ice quite a bit here,” said Arniel. “It’s not like it’s a crazy distance without playing. He can get enough reps here in the last couple days with practice. The conditioning will be the big thing, and he seems to be in a good spot right now with that.”
Arniel doesn’t have a timeline established for Stanley’s return, noting the medical team will monitor his progress over the coming days.
The earliest Stanley would be expected to be an option is next week when the Jets open up a three-game road trip against the St. Louis Blues, Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames.
The Jets have an open space on the 23-man roster to activate Stanley when he’s ready to go.
The Jets preference is to keep a 22-man roster to help bank cap space leading into the NHL trade deadline, but that’s a moving target given the health of Stanley and Ville Heinola, who continues to work his way back from an ankle injury.
“We already lost a goalie on waivers,” said Arniel. “At the end of the day, we’ll see where the market is at and do what’s best for our team.”
No easy space
The Sharks took on Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night, but Arniel made it clear his squad isn’t expecting an easy night.
The Sharks added plenty of experience during the offseason, including former Jets winger Tyler Toffoli, forwards Alex Wennberg, Barclay Goodrow, Ty Dellandrea and defenceman Cody Ceci.
They’re also integrating 2023 first-round pick Will Smith (who was chosen fourth overall) into the lineup after he left Boston College after his freshman season.
The Sharks played the Jets tough last season, with each of the three meetings decided by one goal — a 2-1 loss for the Jets that was followed by a 2-1 win and a 1-0 shutout victory.
“It’s a San Jose team that’s vastly different than what we saw last year,” said Arniel. “You can’t take any opponent lightly. You can’t think you’re going to get any easy ones.”
Unfortunately, 2024 first overall pick Macklin Celebrini suffered a hip injury and won’t be in the Sharks lineup on Friday.
Celebrini had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut and his recovery is considered week-to-week.
Goalie goal
Minnesota Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson provided a highlight-reel moment Tuesday when he fired the puck into the empty net against the St. Louis Blues for the first goal of his NHL career.
Jets backup goalie Eric Comrie was among the many who took notice and he quickly texted with Connor Hellebuyck after seeing the goal circulate on various platforms.
“Honestly, I was really happy for him. It’s really cool,” said Comrie. “It was a power-play goal. Apparently, (Gustavsson) is going to be in the power-play meetings now. I’ve gone for it when I was a kid, but I didn’t get it though.”
Comrie said he hasn’t attempted a shot at an empty net in a game situation since his minor hockey days, but spent some time practising for it if the situation arose during his time with the Buffalo Sabres the past two seasons.
“I would love to do it one day,” said Comrie. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance.”
X: @WiebesWorld
Ken Wiebe
Sports reporter
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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