The 23-year-old turned in a dominant postseason performance after being dealt to Carolina in the Mikko Rantanen trade.
The Carolina Hurricanes climbed to the top of the hockey world Sunday night, winning their first Stanley Cup in two decades, and among the key figures standing at center ice holding the trophy was a player who not long ago was considered one of Dallas's brightest young stars.
Logan Stankoven arrived in Carolina as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Mikko Rantanen to Dallas, a deal that drew significant attention at the time and will continue to be debated for years to come. The Stars got their prime top-line talent in Rantanen, but in return they handed the Hurricanes a 2021 second-round pick who had blossomed into one of the more exciting young forwards in the game.
Stankoven spent this past regular season posting a career-best 44 points in 81 games at just 23 years old, a quiet but steady statement that he belonged at this level. Then the playoffs arrived, and the best version of Logan Stankoven showed up in full.
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He was nothing short of sensational on the way to a championship. Stankoven finished the postseason with 11 goals and five assists for 16 points in 19 games, helping power the Hurricanes to a staggering 16-3 record through four rounds. He went from Texas Stars standout in the AHL to Stanley Cup champion in what amounted to a remarkably swift and emphatic rise.
Stankoven is locked in at $6 million per season, a number that figures to look like an absolute bargain over the next five years as he enters what should be the prime years of his career. On a championship roster with pieces still in place, that contract has every chance of becoming one of the most team-friendly deals in the entire league.
For Stars fans watching from their couches Sunday night, the emotions were complicated but largely generous toward their former prospect. Most were genuinely happy to see Stankoven succeed, watching a player they watched develop from the ground up finally lift the Cup in a moment he clearly earned.
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