After thriving in Carolina, Logan Stankoven returns to Dallas for the first time, facing former teammates and friends. The young forward anticipates a warm reception but knows it's all business when the puck is dropped.
It's been 232 days since the Carolina Hurricanes acquired forward Logan Stankoven from the Dallas Stars in a trade deadline blockbluster that saw Mikko Rantanen moved for the second time.
Since then, Stankoven has intertwined himself with the Hurricanes, fitting in seamlessly and ultimately signing an eight-year extension over the summer.
But tonight will be the first time that the 22 year old will be back in his old home, facing the team that drafted him all those years ago.
"Hopefully it'll be a warm welcome," Stankoven told The Hockey News on the kind of reception he thinks he'll get. "I'll definitely be excited for that game, coming back. I'll be pumped to be back out there."
Stankoven was drafted by Dallas back in 2021 and the young forward spent parts of two seasons within the organization.
After lighting it up in the AHL, the forward quickly got the callup to the NHL and continued to make an impact, scoring some big goals for Dallas, especially in the postseason.
While it was cool to play for the Stars, the biggest thing for Stankoven was the friends he made while in Dallas.
One of the big things Stankoven really harped on when he was first traded was the emotional difficulty of being traded because he was leaving a lot of those friends.
"It's not been easy," Logan Stankoven told The Hockey News that first month. "It really pushes you outside your comfort zone. At first, I was obviously really upset and sad because you're leaving your good buddies and what not, but I think everything does happen for a reason."
Now, he'll be facing those friends for the first time as an opponent.
"Obviously you're friends with those guys off the ice, but on the ice it's all business," Stankoven said.
Facing former teammates is a constant thing in the NHL as guys are always on the move. Someone who knows that quite well is franchise cornerstone Sebastian Aho, who has faced a plethora of former teammates since coming to the NHL nearly 10 years ago, including a handful on this very road trip.
"It's a little weird, because that's your brother," Aho said. "You spend so much time together, so it's a little weird, but when the puck drops, you don't really think about that stuff. It's a hard battle out there, then you see them after the game and high-five or go out to dinners. You're still really close friends with them, but obviously it's all business when that puck drops. As you play the game, you don't really think about that stuff too much. You just play. But it's always great to see all the old friends you made."
Stankoven was a fan favorite in Dallas, so I'm sure he'll be warmly received when the organization welcomes him back, but I'm sure he'll be happier if he can score yet another big goal in front of the American Airlines Center crowd.
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