DALLAS — There’s no question Winnipeg Jets defenceman Logan Stanley is a lightning rod when it comes to very vocal portion of the team’s fan base.
His inclusion in Sunday’s lineup, along with his play and post-game comments from his coach, are sure to toss a few more logs on the fire while also keeping workplace water coolers — and social media sites — buzzing.
Stanley was dressed for a second straight game since coming off the injured list, once again bumping Ville Heinola to the sidelines as as healthy scratch. That was already enough to fuel a heated debate, since Stanley’s outing in Vegas on Friday included a play where Brett Howden blew by him to score a game-tying goal following a Morgan Barron turnover.
Winnipeg Jets defenceman Logan Stanley (left) lays a hit on Dallas Stars’ Logan Stankoven Sunday.
It didn’t get any better against Dallas. Stanley recorded a hat trick of minor penalties, including one which put the Jets at a 5-on-3 disadvantage for an extended period of time. And while his teammates ultimately bailed him out by killing them off, that’s not a good look.
And yet, Jets head coach Scott Arniel stood by the decision to play Stanley when questioned by the Free Press following the 3-1 loss.
“He’s not going to get any better sitting in the press box. He needs to be in our top six,” said Arniel.
“He’s a big-bodied guy, he’s got size, he’s got experience in this league. He expects more out from himself, but at the same time, he’s no good (to the Jets) sitting in the press box and trying to get better. He’s got to be in these type of games. Hopefully, he’ll continue to grow.”
Arniel stopped short of defending Stanley’s performance, but it sounds like the 26-year-old who was drafted 18th-overall back in 2016, is going to be given ample runway here to figure it out.
“He certainly has to stay out of the box,” said Arniel. “We’ll look at his shifts and we’ll go through that stuff. Like everybody else, we all need to be a little bit better when we get against St. Louis on Tuesday.”
Stanley’s first penalty was a fairly weak slashing call that came after both he and partner Colin Miller had allowed Evgenii Dadonov to skate between them and get a partial breakaway. His second infraction was a silly cross-check, the result of trying to be overly aggressive. The third was a hooking penalty while already on the PK, the result of not moving his feet.
Speed is always going to be an issue with Stanley, and that’s why many can’t explain why a team like the Jets — that wants to play faster — would prefer him over Heinola. Many folks are wondering where Heinola’s similarly long leash is, considering the 23-year-old is just getting back from a second ankle procedure.
Heinola, who was selected 20th-overall in 2019, didn’t make any glaring errors in his first two games last week in Minnesota (a 4-1 victory) and Los Angeles (a 4-1 loss). In fact, he used his motor to draw a penalty which led to a valuable insurance goal on the power play in the third period against the Wild.
It was only a short time ago that Arniel declared himself as Heinola’s “biggest fan” as he made his return from injury. Yet now he finds himself having to fight to get in the lineup, even with fellow left-shot defenceman Dylan Samberg sidelined indefinitely with a broken foot.
What gives? It would appear there’s at least some load management occurring, with the Jets cautious given Heinola’s history.
He played two conditioning games with the Manitoba Moose, then jumped right in for two with the Jets, amounting to four games in six days. There were no practices in between, and only one since, so perhaps some more patience is required.
That’s likely a lot to ask, especially if the losses start piling up.
Heinola is no longer exempt from waivers, so there’s zero chance of him being sent down this season as another team would surely make a claim. But you have to think that he isn’t going to get any better sitting in the press box, either — something he’s had to do far too much over the last couple years due to circumstances beyond his control.
Right now, however, his path appears to be blocked by a 6-7 teammate.
X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg
Mike McIntyre
Sports reporter
Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
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