Winnipeg Jets: Predicting Contracts for 3 Jets RFAs this Offseason
2. Logan Stanley
Logan Stanley had an outstanding campaign in his first season in the NHL in 2021. He stood out as a shutdown defenseman and was our pick as the Jets’ Rookie of the Year.
Stanley appeared in 37 games in his rookie season and put up solid numbers including one goal and three assists. His best statistical category was his plus/minus, where he finished second on Winnipeg’s roster with a plus-13 rating.
Although the six-foot-seven-inch defenseman was at times throughout the regular season going in and out of the lineup, he solidified his place in the lineup with his performances during the postseason.
He played extremely well in the first round of the playoffs helping play a role in shutting down the top-two goal scorers in the league against the Edmonton Oilers. Then, Stanley’s arguably best performance of the year came in game four of the second round against the Montreal Canadiens when he scored two goals.
Stanley finished his first postseason with two goals, one assist, and a +6 plus/minus in eight games.
The twenty-three-year-old is coming off his entry-level contract with an AAV of $1,075,833. One of the main issues regarding Stanley is that he is eligible for the Seattle Kraken expansion draft unless the Jets decide to protect him.
Three players comparable to Stanley are Andrej Sekera, Jan Rutta, and Brayden McNabb. All three of these defensemen do not pick up many points but are defensive defensemen and excel in shutting down opposition forwards.
All of these players carry an AAV in the $1,500,000-$2,500,000 range with Sekera’s and Rutta’s contracts over two years and McNabb’s over four years.
It will be interesting to see what Kevin Cheveldayoff does regarding Stanley. If the Jets protect Stanley they may be able to give him a lower value contract, but if Stanley is exposed in the expansion draft and Winnipeg still wants to protect him, we could see Stanley sign for a higher AAV than expected to price Seattle out.
There is an immense amount of value in a shutdown defenseman in today’s game and the Jets have found one in Logan Stanley. We predict Stanley will get a two-year contract with an AAV of $1,750,000.