The Winnipeg Jets have re-signed defenseman Logan Stanley to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $900,000.
The contract is a modest bridge deal, in line with what was expected.
Stanley — a towering 6-foot-7, 230-pound defenseman — suddenly emerged in the 2020-21 NHL season as a viable third-pairing defenseman and was a nice surprise on a thin Jets’ blue line.
Originally selected 18th overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, the 23-year-old had been slow to develop but has taken big strides since January, suiting up for 37 games in his rookie season and recording one goal and three assists while skating an average of 13:13. He also had two goals and one assist in eight playoff games.
Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is clearly high on Stanley, as he controversially protected him over Dylan DeMelo in the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft. (The Kraken ended up selecting forward Mason Appleton.)
One Down, Two to Go
With Stanley signed, Cheveldayoff can now turn his focus to re-signing his two higher-profile RFAs in Andrew Copp and defenceman Neal Pionk. Both players had excellent seasons, are are due sizeable raises, and both have filed for arbitration.
Cheveldayoff has approximately $9.8 million in cap space to ink both players after taking on the contracts of two top-four defensemen he acquired in trades: Brenden Dillon and Nate Schmidt.
