The Jets moved up in the 2016 NHL Draft to select Logan Stanley with the 18th overall pick. As part of the deal with the Flyers, Winnipeg also acquired the 79th overall selection, which it used to draft Luke Green, while sending the 22nd and 36th overall picks to Philadelphia (for what it’s worth the players the Flyers selected played a total of four NHL games).
Stanley graduated from the OHL to the AHL, spending two seasons with the Manitoba Moose in 2018-19 and 2019-20 before making the jump to the NHL. He was used sparingly during three of his first four seasons with the Jets, but in Scott Arniel’s first season behind the bench he appeared in 63 games.
Heading into last season, Stanley was set to become an unrestricted free agent at year’s end. He produced the best offensive season of his NHL career, scoring nine goals in 59 games after recording just one goal in each of the previous five seasons. His shooting percentage jumped from a career mark of 2.2% entering the season to 12.2%, and he surpassed the 20-point mark for the first time in his career.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
The writing appeared to be on the wall as the Jets struggled and looked increasingly unlikely to qualify for the playoffs while Stanley’s trade value climbed. He was a healthy scratch the night before the trade deadline, which would prove to be his final game in a Jets uniform. Winnipeg dealt Stanley and Luke Schenn to the Sabres in exchange for Isak Rosén, Jacob Bryson, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick.
His tenure in Buffalo began with a bang as he dropped the gloves in his Sabres debut. After appearing in 17 regular season games and eight playoff contests, however, his time with the Blue and Gold came to an end when the Sabres elected not to re-sign him.
As a result, Stanley became an unrestricted free agent and was free to sign with any team. He did just that today, agreeing to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the New York Islanders. It is significantly less than the five-year, $5 million per season deal some analysts discussed during the season and a far cry from what he could have earned from a contract years perspective in Winnipeg. It also took a surprisingly long time to materialize, with Stanley becoming a free agent nearly three months ago and the regular season set to begin Friday.
Fans will get a chance to see him for the first time in an opposing jersey on November 19th when the Islanders play the Jets in Winnipeg.
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