Tales from the Clipped: How NHL-Ready is Logan Stankoven?
In which I propose that there is, in fact, a definitive answer.
You’d think NHL teams would learn: there’s room in the NHL for short kings. It’s a lesson they should have learned after Alex DeBrincat in 2016. Or Cole Caufield in 2019. Seth Jarvis in 2020. Now the question for Stars fans is; does Logan Stankoven from 2021 belong on that list?
Maybe, maybe not but that’s a damn good list.
Watching Stankoven at the Traverse City tournament was fun if you watch simply to enjoy hockey. If you were watching to see if he’d play well enough to crack the NHL lineup, then you probably had a different experience. While three games in a small tournament without an NHL system, away from NHL-quality players is hardly instructive, you can still catch patterns of on-ice behavior.
For me at least, Stankoven displayed the qualities of an NHL-quality player. The physical traits were there. He was passing at an NHL-level, moving at an NHL-level, and playing with an NHL-level pace. (I deliberately left out shooting because while he has a good, quick release, there’s not much power.) He was comfortable along the exterior and interior of the ice, generated chances along the rush, and was determined on the forecheck. He’s a mean motor scooter who attacks like a Norwegian lemming.
Does that make him NHL-ready? That’s a trickier question. Having NHL-ready qualities is not the same as being able to play an NHL-level role. Stankoven needs minutes. Within those minutes, production must follow to keep the team competitive. Stankoven being able to make plays all over the ice is different than Stankoven being required to hit 40-plus points in the top nine.
Personally, I think this is precisely where NHL teams overthink things. NHL roles should be fluid, not static. It’s worked for so many years tolerating veterans who aren’t what they once were but still get minutes — why not a young prospect who makes up for the lack of experience with enthusiasm? That’s the question. Stankoven has NHL-quality skills. But can he slot into Dallas’ top nine?