Is Logan Stankoven ready for the NHL next season?

As the Dallas Stars are currently searching for their new head coach right now, one of their top prospects is killing it in the WHL playoffs with the Kamloops Blazers now. I’m talking about Logan Stankoven, whom the Stars got in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft.

He seems to have progressed faster than most experts thought he would. The Stars have some huge decisions with him right now. Do you risk bringing him over next year or do you keep him in Kamloops one more year? Let’s dive into the current situation

Logan Stankoven: Current season with the Kamloops Blazers

Stankoven is currently having one of his best seasons this year with the Blazers. Currently, he has 45 goals and 59 assists through 59 games right now, 17 of those goals have come in the WHL playoffs. What’s even crazier is he currently has four hat tricks in the postseason and could have more on the horizon.

He could finish the playoffs with more points as the series with the Seattle Thunderbirds is not over yet and could advance to the league finals. If the Stars were to hire Marc Savard or another offensive-minded coach, he is probably going to take a hard look at him during the prospect tournament and during the preseason.

Logan Stankoven: Prospect Tournament and Training Camp

Now let’s all imagine that Logan Stankoven arrived for the prospect tournament later this summer and put up numbers like he is currently now in the WHL Playoffs. Then he then goes to Training Camp and performs well during the preseason and after all of that doesn’t make the opening night roster.

I know a lot of Stars fans would be protesting in front of their Frisco headquarters for sending him back to the Blazers for another season if this scenario that played out.

If Stankoven is definitely ready for the NHL, cut one of the veterans not performing well and put him on the roster. There’s no sense in sending him back to the Blazers if he’s putting the puck in the back of the net consistently.

If he doesn’t do well at training camp or the prospect tournament, then he needs another year working on his craft in the WHL which I’m fine with. I’m just really concerned about the Stars possibly holding him back when he’s ready for the NHL.

Logan Stankoven: AHL Route

He is still too young to make an AHL roster so that is out of the question for him next season. The only thing he can do is make the Star’s opening night roster or go back to the Kamloops for another season of Blazers hockey.

The Stars need to make decisions on some of the prospects they currently have down at Cedar Park in order to make room for Stankoven if he needs a year in the AHL. They have prospects like Riley Tufte and Ty Dellandrea who are close to making the Stars roster and are up there in age. Stars GM Jim Nill needs to make decisions on whether move on from them and trade them or promote them to the NHL.

Logan Stankoven: Conclusion

The Stars are currently at a crossroad this offseason as a franchise. They can either look to promote some top prospects from Cedar Park or other junior hockey teams, or they can continue to sign aging veterans that bring no value to the current roster.

With top prospects Logan Stankoven, Antonio Stranges, Wyatt Johnston, and Mavrik Bourque killing it right now in the junior leagues right now, Jim Nill has a big decision looming this offseason that could ultimately save his job possibly.