The last few days have been hectic for the Buffalo Sabres as the NHL Trade Deadline looms and the team finds themselves as buyers for the first time in a long time.
A trade for Colton Parayko was denied after the St. Louis Blues defenseman declined to waive his no-trade clause. While Parayko was a big target, the Sabres front office couldn’t dwell on the trade falling through. General manager Jarmo Kekäläinen got right back to making calls, and, late on Thursday night following a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, a deal was completed.
The Buffalo Sabres acquired defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for defenseman Jacob Bryson, 2021 first-round pick Isak Rosen, a second-round pick in 2027, and a fourth-round pick in 2026.
Buffalo was adamant on bringing in depth for the blue line this deadline, and bringing in a player with size, Logan Stanley is just that. The left side on the third defensive pairing has been primarily occupied by either Jacob Bryson (involved in the trade) or Zach Metsa. Although they both did just fine, particularly Metsa over the last month, they both lacked size, Bryson and Metsa are both listed as being 5' 9''.
Logan Stanley brings the size and physical edge the Buffalo Sabres sorely needed defensively
When the physicality gets turned up a notch in the playoffs, you need big bodies who are willing to lay it out on the line for the team, especially on the blue line. Stanley, who stands at a towering 6' 7'' and weighing 231 pounds, has 96 hits in 59 games this season, but it’s not just the amount of hits, it’s the quality of them. With his daunting size, he can knock a player to the ground in milliseconds, and get up thinking twice about attacking his side of the ice.
Not only does he have a reputation for dropping players to the ice, he doesn’t shy away from dropping the gloves either. The Sabres as a team have been in 11 fights this season, but now they add Logan Stanley who has been in five bouts of his own. He can provide a role of protection, almost like a team bouncer, as if any of the stars get hit, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Stanley take exception and step in to let the other team know who they’re dealing with.
The trade also takes some pressure off of guys like Mattias Samuelsson and Rasmus Dahlin, who are the two leading hitmen on defense with 103 and 56 hits, respectively. Instead of feeling like they need to be the physical presence on defense, sometimes forcing it, they can focus on helping the team in other ways, mainly on the scoresheet.
Stanley wasn’t just acquired for his size and physicality. In fact, one of the reasons why he was a sought after deadline add for many teams was his scoring this season.
Coming into the year with only five career goals, he has exploded for a career year, recording nine goals this season. Adding 12 assists for a total of 21 points, that’s plenty of production from a third-pairing player. Add him to the Sabres, who under Lindy Ruff play a style that heavily involves the D on offense, and Stanley can continue producing like he was with the Jets.
The playoffs are a different beast, and you want guys like Logan Stanley on your side come the postseason. He adds a lot to the defensive corps, and the trade leaves no doubt the Sabres are ready to make a serious run once the playoffs arrive.