Central Notes: Stanley, Holloway, Dickinson

Jets defenseman Logan Stanley told Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press that contract extension talks are likely to resume over the next few days.  The blueliner is a pending unrestricted free agent and is in the middle of a career season.  He already has nine goals and 18 points, both personal bests, while his 16:33 ATOI would also be a new benchmark if it holds up the rest of the season.  Stanley made it clear that he would love to stay in Winnipeg but having said that, if a deal isn’t reached by the March 6th trade deadline, it’s likely that he’ll be on the move instead.  The 27-year-old is on a very affordable $1.25MM contract which will only help generate interest should the Jets opt to put him on the market.

Elsewhere in the Central:

• Blues winger Dylan Holloway is expected to return to the lineup next Thursday, relays Lou Korac of The Hockey News. The 24-year-old returned to game action a little more than a month ago from a high ankle sprain that cost him 15 games.  However, the return was rushed and he ultimately sat the next eight leading into the break.  After a breakout performance last season that saw him pick up a career-high 26 goals and 63 points, Holloway has been limited to eight goals and nine assists in 34 games this year.  Heading for restricted free agency with arbitration eligibility this summer, he’ll be looking for a strong performance down the stretch, even with St. Louis well out of the playoff picture.
• Blackhawks center Jason Dickinson left practice today due to illness, notes Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). He’s likely to be one of Chicago’s more prominent trade chips heading into the trade deadline a couple of weeks from now.  Dickinson only has 13 points in 43 games but his defensive reputation should help garner some interest from teams looking for bottom-six depth, especially if the Blackhawks retain part of his $4.25MM cap charge.