The Carolina Hurricanes traded Mikko Rantanen to the Dallas Stars on Friday afternoon. Rantanen was a massive acquisition for the Hurricanes earlier in the season. However, their attempts to sign him failed. In exchange for the star winger, Dallas sent Carolina four draft picks and young forward Logan Stankoven.
Stankoven is in the midst of his first full NHL season. The 22-year-old center played on the wing against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. He lined up with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. He made an impact, as well. He tipped home Shayne Gostisbehere’s shot to score his first goal in a Carolina uniform.
LOGAN STANKOVEN
The new guys are making a great first impression in Carolina! pic.twitter.com/qRDspl3MmG
— NHL (@NHL) March 9, 2025
After the game, Stankoven spoke with the media. He did score in his debut with the team. However, he admitted that he felt his best effort was not on display against the Jets on Sunday at the Lenovo Center.
“At this level, it’s so hard to beat goalies clean off of shots. A lot of goals you’ve just got to go to the net,” Stankoven said, via NHL.com’s Kurt Dusterberg. “Definitely wasn’t my best tonight, and it’s going to take some time to get used to my linemates and the systems.”
Logan Stankoven could be a long-term star for Hurricanes
Logan Stankoven made his debut with the Stars during the 2023-24 campaign. He played 23 games for Dallas during that season, scoring six goals and 14 points. He also played 19 postseason games, scoring three goals and eight points as the Stars made the Western Conference Finals.
Many around the league see Stankoven as a potential star. And he showed that potential early in this season. In fact, the Kamloops, British Columbia native led all rookies in scoring at one point this year. Unfortunately, though, his offense cooled off. This does not have the Hurricanes front office concerned, though.
“He is a really aggressive player just by nature. When the puck’s on his stick, he’s very shifty with it, he’s very aggressive, he’s attacking on offense. And when he’s going and recovering loose pucks, he’s always the first one in on it, he’s always there pressuring and getting into peoples’ bodies and making things difficult. He’s not the tallest guy in the world, but he plays bigger than he looks, he plays hard and he competes hard, and that’s what we look for in a Hurricanes player,” general manager Eric Tulsky said of his new player, via Carolina’s official team website.
Stankoven may feel he did not put his best foot forward on Sunday. However, he has an entire front office that believes in his ability. He could become one of the team’s premier players down the line if he continues making an impact on the ice.
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