Top Landing Spots For Free Agent Logan Stanley
The 28-year-old is coming off the best season of his career, setting new highs with nine goals, 17 assists, 26 points, and 128 penalty minutes across 76 games split between the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres after a March trade.
At 6-foot-7 and 231 pounds, Stanley is one of the most physically imposing defensemen in the league and one of the youngest blueliners left on the market. Across 76 games last season, he recorded 110 hits and 84 blocked shots.
He is a left-shot defender and a former Winnipeg first-round pick who broke into the NHL with the Jets in 2020-21. Here are the top landing spots.
Calgary Flames
The Flames make sense as a landing spot for a player in Stanley's position.
Calgary is firmly in a rebuild after moving Rasmus Andersson, MacKenzie Weegar, and Nazem Kadri, and the organization has cap space with no pressure to spend it on long-term commitments.
Signing Stanley to a short-term deal would give him a chance to play significant minutes, and if he performs well, the Flames could flip him at the 2027 trade deadline for future assets.
That works for both sides, as Stanley would get the runway to earn a bigger payday with a contender down the line.
Winnipeg Jets
A return to where it started cannot be ruled out.
Stanley spent the bulk of his career in Winnipeg after being drafted there, and the Jets are familiar with exactly what he provides on the back end.
Bringing him back would add size and grit to a blue line for a team that has been reshaping its roster this summer.
Florida Panthers
ESPN identified Stanley as the type of low-cost free agent addition the Panthers should consider for their blue line..
Florida has built its identity around being difficult to play against, and Stanley fits that mold as well as anyone available.
The complication is that the Panthers have already re-signed Radko Gudas and committed significant money to their core, so any addition would have to come at a bargain price.
Stanley should land somewhere before training camp, and with multiple teams looking for size on the back end, the choice may ultimately come down to where he can carve out the biggest role.
