The towering blueliner lands a one-year deal on Long Island after a career-best offensive season, ending a months-long free agency wait just days before the regular season opener.
Former Winnipeg Jets defenceman Logan Stanley has finally found a home for the 2026-27 NHL season.
The New York Islanders announced Sunday that they have signed Stanley to a one-year contract. The deal carries a $1.5-million cap hit.
Photo by Marc Desrosiers/USA Today The signing comes unusually late for the 28-year-old, who remained an unrestricted free agent throughout the summer and nearly the entirety of training camp despite putting together the best offensive season of his NHL career in 2025-26.
Stanley recorded nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points in 76 games split between Winnipeg and the Buffalo Sabres last season. Twenty-one of those points came in 59 games with the Jets before Winnipeg dealt the six-foot-seven, 231-pound defenceman to Buffalo ahead of the March 6 trade deadline.
Stanley added five assists in 17 regular-season games with the Sabres before appearing in eight playoff contests. He was held pointless during Buffalo's postseason run and was scratched for the final four games of its second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens.
His move to Long Island brings an end to a lengthy period of uncertainty for the former Jets first-round pick.
Winnipeg selected Stanley 18th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft after trading up to acquire the pick. He eventually developed into a regular on the Jets' blue line and appeared in parts of six seasons with the club before being moved to Buffalo last spring.
Stanley's final season in Winnipeg proved to be his most productive. He established career highs offensively while taking on a larger role, averaging more than 17 minutes of ice time per game during his 59 appearances with the Jets.
Now, he'll attempt to carve out a role on an Islanders blue line that already features the likes of Matthew Schaefer, Alexander Romanov, Ryan Pulock and Tony DeAngelo.
Stanley joined his new teammates for practice Sunday morning, but his late arrival means he won't have the benefit of an exhibition tune-up. New York has already completed its four-game preseason schedule and will open its regular season Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Islanders will therefore have only a few practices to get Stanley acclimated before the games begin to count.
Stanley has appeared in 278 career NHL regular-season games, recording 14 goals and 62 points. He has also suited up for 25 Stanley Cup playoff games.
After spending nearly seven months waiting for his next NHL opportunity, the former Jet will now get it on Long Island.
