Stanley reminded of small margin of error as Jets gear down for playoff drive

It was a reminder of just how little room for error there is this time of year.

Two days after settling for depth additions at the trade deadline — watching the Central Division arms race from afar — the Winnipeg Jets got a taste of what a tight-checking playoff game will look like on Sunday.

Ask anyone in Winnipeg’s room and they’ll tell you that their identity as a hard-nosed, well-structured defensive team is built for these matchups. Despite their high-octane offense, the Jets’ M.O. has always been defending first. They strive to edge out teams 2-1, not partake in high-scoring track meets. 

Early in Sunday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Winnipeg fared fine against one of the NHL’s stingiest defensive teams — Frederik Andersen stonewalled the Jets until the final 2:46 of play — but two critical errors had them chasing the game, the type of mistakes that prove costly in the playoffs. And Logan Stanley played a part in both. 

With just under two minutes remaining in the first period, Stanley was caught flat-footed after a point-shot attempt. He didn’t pivot quickly enough to get in front of Mark Jankowski, who slipped past the six-foot-seven defenceman and converted on a partial breakaway to open the scoring.

Early in the second period, Stanley was caught chasing contact along the wall — leaving the middle of the ice open — which allowed Jankowski to creep into the slot and bang home a garbage goal to give the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead. Carolina didn’t look back in what would be a 4-2 home win.

Sure, every player is prone to a bad night. They’re human, after all. But Stanley’s minus-2 performance wasn’t a one-off. It was yet another example of how his shortcomings — his speed, positioning and decision-making — can negatively impact a game. And a prime example as to why he shouldn’t be a regular in the Jets lineup come playoff time. 

Both Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and coach Scott Arniel have advocated for Stanley this season.

During a sit-down interview with reporters from The Athletic and the Winnipeg Free Press in late January, the Jets GM suggested that injuries stunted the 26-year-old’s development after an encouraging 2020-21 playoff showing. A month before, the latter emphasized how valuable Stanley’s size was in the lineup.

“He needs to be in our top six,” Arniel said on Dec. 1, after Stanley took three ill-advised penalties in Winnipeg’s 3-1 loss to Dallas. “He’s a big-bodied guy, he’s got size, he’s got experience in this league. He expects more 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 types of games. Hopefully, he’ll continue to grow.”

At the time, there was some merit to Arniel’s thinking. The Jets blueline, one of the NHL’s smallest, needed some beef along the edges. On paper, Stanley was their most physically imposing depth defenceman — not to mention a first-round pick they’ve long believed in — it was sensible to give him runway.

Though Stanley had a solid five-game stretch (by his standards) after the 4 Nations break, his overall body of work hasn’t been strong enough to justify an everyday role on a Cup contender. 

Stanley has struggled to weaponize his size. 

He’s not a player who delivers thunderous hits or makes opponents think twice about dumping the puck in his corner. And despite his willingness to drop the mitts, he doesn’t exactly have an iron fist. In fact, his aggressiveness oftentimes bites the Jets: he’s taken the 11th-most penalties per 60 minutes of any defenceman this season (minimum 200 minutes), according to NaturalStatTrick.com. 

His long reach hasn’t made him an asset on the penalty kill, either. When Stanley is on the ice, the Jets have allowed 11.33 penalty goals against per 60 minutes — that’s the 15th most of any defenceman. He has also recorded the fourth-most penalty-kill giveaways per 60 minutes (4.05). 

We’ve seen 51 games of Stanley. Enough to know what he is — and what he isn’t. 

With Luke Schenn now in the fold, Winnipeg has added a player who embodies everything that it hopes Stanley becomes. 

The 35-year-old, two-time Stanley Cup winner Schenn excels at clearing net-front traffic, winning one-on-one battles and killing penalties, and he’s registered the third-most five-on-five hits per 60 minutes of any defenceman this season (15.43). And as a veteran of 1,057 career games, Schenn knows when to pick his spots. He may be five inches shorter than No. 67, but there’s no denying he checks all the boxes of what Winnipeg wants on its third pair. 

Which makes Stanley’s role increasingly redundant. 

Stoller Says

• The Jets haven’t been afraid to place Stanley on the right side — why not see what Colin Miller looks like on the left? Miller’s puck-moving ability could complement Schenn’s well. If Miller can tread water on his off side, it would give Winnipeg some insurance in the event Josh Morrissey or Dylan Samberg get hurt. I’d rather have Miller shouldering top-four minutes than Stanley, Haydn Fleury or Ville Heinola. 

• The Jets penalty kill was successful on all but one of their six shorthanded opportunities. Since Feb. 1, Winnipeg has the sixth-best PK in the league (83.3 per cent). The underlying numbers through that span are impressive.

Jets PK since Feb. 1

• I wonder if we will see Brandon Tanev and Adam Lowry reunited soon. Those two were dynamite together during Tanev’s first stint in Winnipeg. Nino Niederreiter hasn’t looked like himself in a while, so putting him with Alex Iafallo could be a nice change of pace.

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