I'm sure most of you have looked at our latest story about Logan Stankoven by now. Stankoven was a true underdog and brought a lot to the table for the Stars in the short amount of time that he played here. He was drafted and developed by the Stars. Unfortunately, the Stars traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes for Mikko Rantanen at the trade deadline last season. He will be missed by Stars fans dearly as the team moves forward to compete for the Stanley Cup this upcoming season.
However, we can't close the chapter on Logan Stankoven without asking ourselves the question: Would he have made a difference in the Western Conference Finals against the Oilers? It's a good question because the Stars did lack a lot of physicality in that series. I recall having to contact ESPN, wondering if the statkeeper for one of the games was feeling okay, given that the Stars were getting outhit by 30 or more hits.
Stankoven brings a lot of physicality to the table despite his 5'8 height. He is not afraid to take or dish out hits as a hockey player. However, the Stars needed a lot more physicality from the rest of their team if they wanted to have a shot against the Edmonton Oilers. Certain players on the Stars were hesitant to deliver hits to the Oilers' top players. The Stars even had trouble getting goals from some of their good players like Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnston.
The Stars couldn't even stop players like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl if they wanted to. They would leave both players alone in their spaces to score goals, as if it were an exhibition game. The Stars had so many mistakes in the Western Conference Finals that they didn't even belong after the Oilers eliminated them for a second-straight season. I don't think Stankoven would have saved the Stars even if Stankoven contributed goals in this series.
In conclusion, Stankoven wouldn't have changed the course of the Stars' season if he remained on the team after the Rantanen Trade. There were so many things that went wrong for the Stars in the Western Conference Finals that Stankoven wouldn't have been able to patch up. Hopefully, the Stars can turn it around this upcoming season and get over the hump. They are so close to competing for the Stanley Cup that I know Dallas's time with Lord Stanley is drawing near.