It’s hard to give up and move on from a project prospect. Kevin Cheveldayoff has given his 2016, 18th overall, first-round NHL Entry Draft selection too many chances.
While we weren’t expecting Logan Stanley’s game to translate from the OHL to the AHL and eventually the NHL. It’s been not very reassuring to see the way that Logan Stanley has played over 114 career NHL games with the Winnipeg Jets. He’s scored three goals and 17 assists for 20 points in his tenure. This is combined with a plus/minus of plus 13 and 91 penalty minutes.
However, Kevin Cheveldayoff has to proceed with caution if he were to move the 25-year-old Kitchener, Ontario native. Stanley is still finding his footing at the NHL level and could explode into one of the league’s top defensemen. Although that’s unlikely, we’ve seen in previous cases for bigger defensemen that they sometimes take more than a little bit longer to hit their maximum potential.
The Jets Must Free Up Room On Defense
It is without question that the Winnipeg Jets have a logjam on defense. Kevin Cheveldayoff has to be concerned about possibly losing more defensive prospects because they aren’t getting an opportunity to show their potential at the NHL level. It is also concerning to see that the Winnipeg Jets have more than enough NHL-caliber defensemen to roster five NHL defense lines. Of course, it’s a great issue, but it’s also an issue that some wouldn’t want to have.
Shoring up one or two defensive spots on the depth charts could actually work better in Kevin Cheveldayoff’s favor. The Winnipeg Jets are looking to get Ville Heinola injected into their lineup as soon as he recovers from his injury. Heinola had a strong preseason and easily outperformed almost every other defensive prospect that the Jets have.
Declan Chisholm, another defensive prospect who performed well, is currently listed on the Winnipeg Jets roster as of right now. He’s sitting on the outside looking in as the eighth defenseman, waiting for a chance to play an NHL game and record some NHL points. Chisholm looks like he could be an incredibly valuable depth defenseman, given the opportunity that has to be presented to him.
Logan Stanley has had too many chances to show that he can become the Jets’ next big defenseman after the loss of Tyler Myers. Stanley should be the first candidate on the list of defensemen being considered to be traded out, either now or at the trade deadline. Some other candidates worth considering to move would be Dylan DeMelo, Nate Schmidt, or Neal Pionk. However, Winnipeg is ready to compete again and really make a run in the playoffs.
Should Kevin Cheveldayoff Wait Until The Trade Deadline?
This is a serious point of consideration for Cheveldayoff: does he take what he can for Logan Stanley now, or should he wait until the trade deadline approaches, hoping that Logan Stanley’s market value rises?
Personally, I would say no. The Winnipeg Jets have a logjam problem, which will only worsen with time. Logan Stanley could use a change of scenery, which could give his career a fresh breath and a much-needed revival. This potential for Stanley to become a considerable asset elsewhere could be why Kevin Cheveldayoff is hesitant to move him now. However, Stanley won’t become the next Zdeno Chara. He’s a big presence on the ice, and removing him could be far more catastrophic than you might think.
However, if the Jets feel as if they’re in a better position to remove Logan Stanley from their lineup ahead of the trade deadline, it may be one of the best moves that Cheveldayoff makes. Look at the logjam on defense, and then look at player production. We don’t have room to continue attempting to figure it out when we have eight defensemen listed on our roster.
Final Thoughts
I see Rick Bowness rotating Ville Heinola and Declan Chisholm if we go ahead with moving Logan Stanley. Chisholm likely would clear waivers, but if he gets playing time and looks great, someone will certainly claim him. Chisholm is younger and provides more upside as of right now when everything is said and done. Stanley has shown what he provides in our lineup and likely won’t be able to contribute to a larger role. However, time will tell the careers that these young players will have.
Stanley seems to be stuck in a a borderline zone. and it is probably better for him and the team to have him move on. Actually Heinola has been in a similar state. Jets have been waiting for these two players to make a progressive move but it hasn’t happened. This year Heinola had apparently been blessed by team and fans as being ready to move up, although frankly I did not see that much difference in his play. Unfortunately, he got injured but a team slot is evidently awaiting him.
4 games in and you want to trade the entire defense? I can’t believe I wasted 5 minutes reading this useless article.
Go Jets Go