BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Logan Stanley knows it sounds a bit odd. After all, he fell out of the lineup after playing 14 straight games following his arrival from the Winnipeg Jets before the trade deadline.
But sitting out Wednesday’s 5-3 road win over the New York Rangers as a healthy scratch infused him with some much-needed confidence.
After being given a chance to reset, Stanley responded by enjoying his best outing with the Sabres in Thursday’s 5-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“Kind of came into that with some, weird to say, but newfound confidence and a good mindset,” he told the Times Herald following Saturday’s practice in LECOM Harborcenter.
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said the 6-foot-7, 231-pound Stanley played a predictable game against Columbus, making easy plays and keeping opponents in front of him.
“I thought he closed his gap a lot quicker,” said Ruff, whose Sabres can clinch home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs if they beat the Blackhawks on Monday in Chicago. “His first pass was a lot better. I think all that’s related. Made a nice play getting up ice.”
Stanley, 27, also recorded two assists, doubling his total with the Sabres. He deftly fed Jack Quinn the puck in the third period to create the winger’s 20th goal, showcasing some of his underrated offensive skills.
He skated 16 minutes, 19 seconds on Thursday, his third-highest total since joining the Sabres.
“A little more ice time and you’re in the flow of the game a little more,” Stanley said.
The Sabres, who boast perhaps the NHL’s deepest blue line, have cast Stanley in a supporting role, skating him on the third pair, often alongside rookie Zach Metsa.
In Winnipeg, Stanley played a career-high 17 minutes, 12 seconds per game this season, even earning time on the power play. His ice time is down almost three minutes per outing with the Sabres (14:33).
“I think the adjustments coming here are you’re not quite getting the same role,” Ruff said.
Stanley, the 18th overall pick by Winnipeg in 2016, had never been traded before the Jets sent him and defenseman Luke Schenn to Buffalo on March 8 in exchange for winger Isak Rosen and defenseman Jacob Bryson.
“It’s definitely not easy,” Stanley said of being dealt for the first time. “There’s definitely challenges, and obviously, not being through the process before it’s different coming into a new group of guys.”
After nearly a decade in the Winnipeg organization, in the midst of a career season, everything suddenly changed.
There are new coaches and teammates, a new system and different expectations.
“Just the whirlwind of getting traded and everything’s new, and you’re leaving a place that you know you’ve kind of grown up in and grown to love,” said Stanley, who scored nine goals for the Jets this season.
While it has taken time for him to adapt, he believes he’s growing more comfortable.
“I think my confidence was really high when I was in Winnipeg,” Stanley said. “And you got to kind of try and find that again, when you come to a new group and a new team. I think it’s starting to come back.”
The Sabres have nine defensemen Ruff believes can all contribute. In the last week, every one has played as he and his staff try to find the third pair they will utilize in the postseason.
On Saturday and Sunday, Stanley practiced alongside Metsa. Chances are they will be together when the Sabres open the playoffs next weekend.
“What he’s offered us is one real tough guy on the back end,” Ruff said of Stanley. “He does have good hands. I think we saw that the other night that in situations where we need somebody to get up ice, he can get up ice. He’s a good skater, he’s physical.
“So I think he’s a good fit. He’s the type of guy you need in the playoffs.”