Winnipeg Jets defenceman Logan Stanley says he is looking forward to a clean slate.

Winnipeg Jets defenceman Logan Stanley recently joined the Jets at Noon radio show with Jim Toth and Cam Poitras to talk all things hockey and Jets-related. 

Fresh off a one-year, $1 million contract, the 25-year-old explained his decision to sign on in the form of another short-term deal.

"It was a little bit slower," he told Jets at Noon on his offseason negotiations. "We were talking about different options and what might transpire. I think the way the cap is right now, with teams obviously playing against it, the one-year deal was good for both me and the Jets. I am just looking at having a good year and we can re-negotiate next summer."

Although eligible to elect salary arbitration, the 6-foot-7, 230-pound blueliner chose to avoid that route. His decision came from his difficult 2022-23 season that saw two injuries and only a handful of NHL games played.

"I just didn’t think it made a lot of sense," he said of the possibility of going to arbitration. "I played 19 games last year, obviously with the injuries. I didn’t think we needed to go to it and it worked out alright for both of us."

Stanley broke his ankle twice, to which he missed 19 weeks of action - the bulk of the season - and ended up losing his roster spot in the process. 

"It’s part of the game; people are going to get hurt, but you’ve gotta deal with that stuff," he said. "It sucks, it’s hard, but I’m looking forward to a clean slate this year and coming in healthy and feeling good. Mentally, I’m definitely a lot better right now than how I was feeling in January and February that’s for sure."

Physically, it wasn't pretty either, he said.

"Yeah, my ankle took a little bit of a beating last year," Stanley joked. "But those things take time. It’s feeling back to normal now, but it’s definitely a process. But I did a lot of work with physio, and chiro and massage and strengthening it. I definitely put a lot of time into making it feel better again and I’m happy with where it’s at now."

As for the emotional and psychological side of things, the big defenceman that the Jets chose to protect in the Seattle expansion draft also admitted that he wasn't in the best place last season.

“You definitely feel alone, especially when they go on the road and you stay back," he reflected. "You miss being on the road with them and being part of he team, so that was definitely a little bit of a struggle last year, not being as involved as I would have liked to have been."

Those feelings, mixed with some managerial decisions to dress other blueliners over him even when healthy were the prime indicators that led to his trade request from Winnipeg prior to last March's deadline. 

"It was nothing against the organization, the city of Winnipeg or my teammates," Stanley said to Jets at Noon. "I am very happy being in Winnipeg. And actually, I’d love to play there my whole career. The team that drafted me and I’ve built some great relationships there. It wasn’t anything about that. 

"It was more so just the opportunity to play some games. At the end of the day you’ve got to worry about your own career a little bit too. But it was just about opportunity, it wasn’t anything that transpired with the team or myself."

Has Stanley moved on from wanting out? Absolutely, he says.

But has his chance at making the Jets' top-six d-corps gotten any easier? Certainly not. 

He will battle Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, Dylan DeMelo, Brenden Dillon, Nate Schmidt, Dylan Samberg, Kyle Capobianco, Ville Heinola and Declan Chisholm for a spot on the logjam that is the Jets' defensive group.

"Obviously, we’ve got a lot of D under contract, so it’s going to come down to a good training camp and playing well in those preseason games to start the year," he said. "Hopefully I'll get into the six-man roster to start the season and just go from there to try to build a good foundation and get some trust back with the coaches."

And what that will take, according to the Waterloo, Ontario product, is putting himself back in meaningful situations, while proving to his coaching staff just how well he can play in his assigned positions. 

"I’m looking forward to that challenge."