Winnipeg Jets Activate Logan Stanley
Good news on the injury front for the Winnipeg Jets as they will be getting an important piece of their blueline back. The team announced they have activated defenseman Logan Stanley off of IR. Stanley had been on IR since November 2nd with a fractured foot, but has not played since October 24th.
Although Winnipeg is still dealing with injuries to a pair of key forwards in Nikolaj Ehlers and Mason Appleton, their defense has remained relatively healthy as of late. Even still, getting the massive Stanley back in the fold should make a difference. The Jets currently have the eighth fewest shots against them in the NHL, an indicator of strong defense, however the team also ranks 29th in the NHL in shots for. Stanley might not be an elite puck mover, but having a complete blueline could help the team stay out of their own end and stay in the offensive end more than they have.
Listed at 6’7 and 231 pounds, Stanley’s frame allows him to play a unique and exciting brand of physical, shutdown defense evidence by his 195 career hits in 100 career games. A 2016 first-round pick, the defenseman took some time to make it to the NHL, but has now established himself as a key piece when healthy. The 24-year-old played in a career-high 58 games last season, recording 13 points, but has played in just five this season, with zero points thus far. The Central Division-leading Jets play this evening on the road in St. Louis against the up-and-down Blues.
West Notes: Jets, Vaakanainen, Avalanche, Stone
Despite dealing with multiple injuries up front, the Jets enter play today sitting in second place in the Central Division thanks to a resurgent season from Connor Hellebuyck and some improved defensive play from some of their veteran blueliners under new head coach Rick Bowness. Accordingly, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press wonders if instead of moving one of those veteran rearguards to make room for a youngster, they instead turn around and move one of those younger defensemen to acquire some help up front. Ville Heinola is just now getting his feet wet this season after starting the season in the minors while Logan Stanley has been out for a month and might have a hard time getting back into the lineup when healthy. Both players carry cap hits under $1MM which would be enticing to cap-strapped teams while Winnipeg has a little over $1.7MM in cap room at the moment per CapFriendly which would give them some extra flexibility to take on a more expensive forward in return.
More from the West:
- Ducks defenseman Urho Vaakanainen has resumed practicing as he works his way back from an injury sustained late in the preseason, relays Lisa Dillman of the Orange County Register. He was injured at the end of September when he went crashing into the boards where he had to be stretchered off the ice. There’s still no firm timeline for his return but the fact he’s now skating with the team suggests he should be back sooner than later. He’d be a welcome addition to an Anaheim back end that has struggled so far this season; the 23-year-old logged more than 19 minutes a game after joining them at the trade deadline a year ago.
- As expected, the Avalanche have recalled wingers Sampo Ranta and Anton Blidh from the minors, per the AHL’s transactions listing. Colorado has been shuffling waiver-exempt players back and forth all season long in an effort to try to bank some extra cap space, something that is harder to do with the team currently in LTIR. Ranta and Blidh have played in three and four games respectively with the Avs so far this season.
- Flames defenseman Michael Stone has been activated off injured reserve, reports Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg (Twitter link). The veteran has missed the last ten games due to an undisclosed injury after putting up two goals and three assists in his first ten contests this season. Calgary had an open roster spot so they didn’t need to make any corresponding move to activate Stone.
Logan Stanley Out With Fractured Foot
Nov 2: Stanley has been moved to injured reserve and the Jets have recalled Jansen Harkins under emergency conditions.
Nov 1: It seemed as though Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley had avoided serious injury when he accompanied the team on the road but the foot injury that he suffered last month will keep him out for a little while yet. Head coach Rick Bowness told reporters including John Lu of TSN that Stanley has a “slight fracture” in his foot and will be out for a couple of weeks.
Stanley, 24, was expected to take another step forward this season in terms of production and responsibility, but the new coaching staff has actually played him even less. The 6’7″ behemoth has averaged fewer than 15 minutes a night, ranking only barely ahead of Dylan Samberg (the player that replaced him in the lineup) for the least among Jets defensemen.
Losing him then won’t be a huge issue, but explains why the team is still carrying eight defensemen even as they return home for the next three games.
Missed time has ripple effects though, and in Stanley’s case, could have a negative impact on contract negotiations next spring. He is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent, and that process is already rather unkind to defensive defensemen that don’t have high point totals. If he misses a chunk or even finds himself replaced on a regular basis, there won’t be much leverage come the offseason.
Injury Updates: Jets, Kravtsov, Subban
After sustaining an injury when blocking a shot against St. Louis on Monday, Jets defenseman Logan Stanley did not participate in practice today, notes Joshua Frey-Sam of the Winnipeg Free Press. However, he is accompanying the team on their three-game road trip which bodes well for his availability at some point over that three-game stretch.
Meanwhile, Frey-Sam adds that blueliner Dylan Samberg was a full participant in practice as he works his way back from a lower-body injury. The 23-year-old has suited up just once this season as he looks to lock down a full-time spot in the lineup over returning to the minors. With Stanley’s availability in question for tomorrow against Los Angeles, Samberg could have a chance to get back into Winnipeg’s lineup for at least a game.
Other injury news from around the hockey world:
- When the Rangers recalled winger Julien Gauthier earlier today, it was expected that he’d take the place of either Mika Zibanejad or Vitali Kravtsov who were banged up last night against Colorado. It turns out that he’s taking the case of the latter as Larry Brooks of the New York Post relays (Twitter link) that the winger has been listed as day-to-day with what’s believed to be an upper-body injury. Kravtsov has had a very quiet return to the NHL so far having only played in three games while logging just under eight minutes per game. He’s waiver-eligible now so they will likely be patient with him to give him a chance to play himself into a regular role once he’s cleared to return.
- Sabres goaltender Malcolm Subban has had some rough injury luck lately. After suffering a season-ending wrist injury back in January, he re-signed in Buffalo only to suffer an injury in his first preseason game with AHL Rochester earlier this month. However, the 28-year-old is a couple of weeks away from being cleared to return, mentions Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. Buffalo’s preference is to have prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen play heavy minutes in the minors so Subban’s eventual return will give them some insurance on that front as he’d be the one to be called up if one of Craig Anderson or Eric Comrie gets injured.
Logan Stanley Activated; Neal Pionk Unavailable
The Winnipeg Jets have activated Logan Stanley from injured reserve and will insert him back into the lineup for the first time since January 20. The big defenseman is coming at the perfect time since Neal Pionk is unavailable. Pionk tested positive for coronavirus ten days ago with the team on the road and though he has played in the last two games, can’t travel back with the Jets to Canada until tomorrow.
Stanley, 23, is one of the most physically imposing players in the league, standing 6’7″ and weighing in at 228 lbs. Though it took the 2016 first-round pick some time to grow into his potential, he’s become a regular with the Jets this season, averaging just over 15 minutes a night through 35 games. With the team struggling to keep pace in the Central Division, another step forward in Stanley’s progression would certainly be welcomed.
In fact, the deployment of the Jets’ defense down the stretch will be an interesting thing to watch, especially if they fall completely out of the playoff race. The veteran group of Pionk, Josh Morrissey, Nate Schmidt, Brenden Dillon, and Dylan DeMelo are all signed through at least the 2023-24 season at cap hits of at least $3MM, but the team has young defensemen like Stanley and Ville Heinola pushing for more playing time. If the management group decides to start looking forward to the future, perhaps someone from that veteran group will start appearing in trade talks with contending teams.
For now though, Stanley jumps back into a group that is desperately trying to find a way to put wins on the board. The Jets took Saturday’s game against the Nashville Predators and now have a winnable match against the Chicago Blackhawks. A team that was considered a Stanley Cup contender before the season began, Winnipeg sits sixth in the Central with a 20-17-8 record.
Jets Announce Several Roster Moves
Prior to their game tonight against Florida, the Jets announced (Twitter link) quite a few roster moves. Defensemen Dylan DeMelo and Logan Stanley were both placed on injured reserve while fellow blueliner Josh Morrissey entered COVID protocol. That resulted in the recalls of rearguards Ville Heinola and Johnny Kovacevic from the taxi squad as well as forward Kristian Reichel. In order to get cap-compliant to make those moves, goaltender Mikhail Berdin was sent back to the taxi squad while center David Gustafsson was transferred to LTIR.
DeMelo suffered an upper-body injury back on Saturday against Boston and has been listed as day-to-day since then; if the IR placement was backdated, he will be eligible to return as soon as this weekend. As for Stanley, he was injured back on Thursday with interim head coach Dave Lowry telling reporters, including Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe (Twitter link) that Stanley’s designation is longer than day-to-day. At this point, the fact that they didn’t see fit to place him on LTIR should at least be considered as some cause for optimism as that would have forced him to miss 10 games and 24 days. That’s what will happen for Gustafsson although he last played nearly three weeks ago and assuming his placement was backdated, he could be back as soon as next week.
The loss of Morrissey will certainly be a big loss for the Jets in the short term as he logs just shy of 23 minutes a game on the back end, the most of anyone on the team. He’ll be out for at least five days as a result of this placement as long as it’s for a confirmed positive test.
As for the recalls, Heinola is the most experienced with 13 career games under his belt although none of them have come this season as Winnipeg has opted to have the 2019 first-rounder develop with a consistent role in the AHL where he has chipped in with 16 points in 24 games. Reichel made his NHL debut last month and has played in five games overall this season, picking up his first career NHL goal in the process. Meanwhile, Kovacevic is in his fourth season in Winnipeg’s system and this is his first career recall to the big club. He has 14 points in 32 games with AHL Manitoba so far in 2021-22.
Logan Stanley Signs With Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets have signed Logan Stanley to a two-year contract, which will carry an average annual value of $900K. Stanley was a restricted free agent after performing admirably in his rookie season. PuckPedia reports that Stanley will earn $800K in 2021-22 and $1.0MM in 2022-23.
A contract that inexpensive could be a huge win for the Jets, as they look to rebuild their defense for next season. The team already brought in Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon, while retaining Dylan DeMelo in the expansion draft. With Stanley in the fold for such a low price and Neal Pionk still to sign, the Jets suddenly have a pretty impressive depth chart on the back end.
The 23-year-old is one of the most imposing figures in the league at 6’7″ and can skate well enough to effectively shut down rushes. Even though there was some concern over his upside in the minor leagues, he stepped into the Winnipeg lineup this season and found almost immediate success. Though his role was limited, the hulking defenseman managed to record four points in 37 games, putting up good possession stats and traditional +/-. Though not always chasing the hit, Stanley’s size obviously gives him a physical advantage over most players, one which he’s still just learning how to effectively use.
While he should figure into the lineup next season, the veterans added certainly does complicate things. The team still has Nathan Beaulieu and prospect Ville Heinola as well, meaning their number of NHL-level defensemen has suddenly reached at least eight. That’s not even considering Dylan Samberg, who looks ready to contribute soon.
That’s a big change from last season when the Jets were searching high and low for defensive help all year. The question now becomes what does Pionk sign for, given the team only has about $6MM in cap space left to sign him and Andrew Copp. Even less if you consider the fact that they only have nine forwards currently on one-way deals, and don’t have an obvious backup goaltender except for the inexperienced Eric Comrie. It will be a tight squeeze in Winnipeg this summer, but Stanley taking such a low-cost contract certainly helps matters.
Patrik Laine Moved To Injured Reserve
The Winnipeg Jets have made several transactions today, not the least of which was moving Patrik Laine to injured reserve. Laine has played in just one game so far this season and will not play tomorrow against the Ottawa Senators. Nate Thompson joins Laine on injured reserve, while Dylan DeMelo has been activated and David Gustafsson has been brought up from the minors to the taxi squad.
While Laine won’t play, it is good news to see DeMelo activated after missing the first four games. The 27-year-old defenseman will be a welcome addition for the Jets who have shuffled their defense around on a daily basis this season, especially after he fit in so well down the stretch in 2020. DeMelo was acquired at the deadline from the Ottawa Senators and logged more than 21 minutes a night in ten regular season games with the Jets, before seeing big minutes again in the postseason bubble.
Murat Ates of The Athletic isn’t sure whether it will be Logan Stanley or Ville Heinola coming out for DeMelo, but does note that the later is still a slide candidate should he play fewer than seven games this season. Heinola has played just one so far, meaning they could potentially send him to the minors and allow his entry-level contract to extend another year. Stanley, who is already 22, will become a restricted free agent in the summer no matter how many games he plays this season.
After a tumultuous offseason that saw Laine’s agent suggest a trade would be best for his client, the 22-year-old forward can’t seem to get back into the lineup thanks to his somewhat mysterious injury. Head coach Paul Maurice told Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet that Laine had more testing done today and that “nothing new came up on it.” In that one game Laine has played, he registered two goals and one assist.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/15/21
It appears as though there will be daily movement this season between the active roster and taxi squad, and although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of shuffle news each day. The last five bullets are all courtesy of CapFriendly’s transactions log.
- The Nashville Predators have placed Luca Sbisa on the active roster after being claimed off waivers earlier this week. To make room, Cole Smith has been moved to the taxi squad. Smith made his NHL debut last night but received just six shifts and failed to record a point. Sbisa, who signed a one-year deal with the Winnipeg Jets in October, has more than 500 games of NHL experience.
- As it is an off day for the Calgary Flames, the team has moved Derek Ryan to the taxi squad in order to continue banking some cap space. Louis Domingue has also been placed there, suggesting that David Rittich will return from his family emergency in time for tomorrow’s game against the Vancouver Canucks. Artyom Zagidulin, who had been recalled to the practice squad, has been reassigned back to the AHL.
- As expected after the Winnipeg Jets claimed Anton Forsberg, the team has moved both Kristian Vesalainen and Logan Stanley to the taxi squad. The team must keep Forsberg on the active roster until he clears waivers, something that doesn’t seem possible at the moment with teams looking for goaltending depth.
- The Canucks have recalled Loui Eriksson from the taxi squad and replaced him with Justin Bailey, the opposite of a move they made just yesterday. Though it may seem counterintuitive, keeping Eriksson on the active roster and Bailey on the taxi squad during off days actually saves the Canucks money. The team is already in LTIR relief meaning they can’t bank cap space and have to pay Eriksson his one-way NHL salary regardless of where he plays. Bailey on the other hand earns less on his two-way deal whenever he is assigned to the taxi squad or minor leagues.
- The Bruins have made a trio of moves. Forward Karson Kuhlman has been assigned to AHL Providence while wingers Jack Studnicka and Trent Frederic were both sent to the taxi squad. Studnicka played just under 12 minutes in Boston’s season opener while Frederic saw just under 11 minutes of ice time. Chances are at least one will be recalled on Saturday.
- With Cory Schneider being moved onto the Islanders’ roster giving them three goalies, they don’t have to carry one on the taxi squad. As a result, they’ve shifted Jakub Skarek to Bridgeport. He is their only other goaltender that isn’t currently up with the Isles. Defenseman Thomas Hickey has also been shifted to the taxi squad after being scratched for their opener.
- The Sharks have shifted four players around. Defensemen Nicolas Meloche and Nikolai Knyzhov were both sent to the taxi squad after serving as their third pairing in their opener. Meanwhile, wingers Jeffrey Viel and Fredrik Handemark were both sent to AHL San Jose. With five healthy blueliners on the roster, at least one of the blueliners will soon be recalled again.
- The Maple Leafs recalled Alexander Barabanov from their taxi squad prior to tonight’s game against Ottawa. Defenseman Mikko Lehtonen was sent to the taxi squad, making the swap a cap-neutral move as both players are receiving the maximum entry-level salary.
- Tyler Johnson is back on the NHL roster after being recalled from the taxi squad, as is defenseman Luke Schenn and both are in their lineup against Chicago. Meanwhile, blueliner Andreas Borgman was loaned to the taxi squad. He cleared waivers back on Tuesday but had remained on the Lightning’s roster until now.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/14/21
It appears as though there will be daily movement this season between the active roster and taxi squad, and although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of news each day.
- The Vancouver Canucks have sent Loui Eriksson to the taxi squad and recalled Justin Bailey. Given Eriksson didn’t play last night for the Canucks this doesn’t come as much of a surprise and it will allow the team to bank slightly more daily cap space. Eriksson previously cleared waivers and could also be assigned to the AHL once it gets started.
- Stuart Skinner has been recalled from the Edmonton Oilers taxi squad under emergency conditions, giving the team an extra goaltender for tonight’s action. Evan Bouchard meanwhile has been sent to the taxi squad, while Tyler Benson, who had previously been there, has now been assigned to the AHL.
- Staying in Western Canada, the Calgary Flames have activated Derek Ryan from the taxi squad as expected, but he’s coming with some company. The team has also activated Louis Domingue who will serve as backup this evening while David Rittich deals with a family issue. With the extra space, Artyom Zagidulin has been added to the taxi squad from the AHL roster.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled Cole Smith from the taxi squad while sending Lukas Craggs to the AHL. Craggs already played in eight games for the Florida Everblades, recording nine points early in the season but will now compete for playing time with the Chicago Wolves. Smith, who also played a handful of games for the Everblades to start the year, is in his first season of professional hockey after being signed out of the University of North Dakota.
- The Winnipeg Jets have brought up a pair of players as Mathieu Perreault and Logan Stanley were recalled from the taxi squad. Perreault cleared waivers earlier in the week so they will have the ability to shuffle him back and forth until he plays in 10 NHL games or is on the NHL roster for 30 days. Stanley, meanwhile, was a first-round pick back in 2016 but has yet to suit up with the Jets. Winnipeg also recalled defenseman Leon Gawanke from his loan to Berlin of the DEL.
- The Montreal Canadiens assigned Jake Evans to the taxi squad. He played a little under nine minutes in last night’s season-opener but with them off until the weekend, they’ll shuffle him down and bank a little bit of cap space. The team has already announced its intent to recall him for their next game on Saturday.