Logan Stanley Fitting In Following Late Offseason Signing

Logan Stanley didn’t know if he was going to be playing with an NHL team less than a week before the 2026-27 season began.  

Since signing a one-year contract with the New York Islanders on Sept. 27, the 6-foot-7 defenseman has logged big minutes, largely with Matthew Schaefer, helped power the Isles to one of the top penalty-killing units in the league and endeared himself to the fans in the process.  

If Stanley felt like he was on an island before the season – he felt right at home on the Island during the Islanders ‘Meet The Team’ event for season-ticket members on Nov. 1 when he saw a young kid with a ‘Stanley No. 8’ jersey.  

It was the first Stanley jersey he had seen from an Islanders fan.  

The fan told Stanley he spent his allowance, accumulated through household chores, on the jersey. Stanley reimbursed him – and then some - with a couple hundred dollars. “He was a great kid,” Stanley told NewYorkIslanders.com. “He was really excited about it and I was too. It was cool to see someone spend their hard-earned money on something with your name on it. I thought it was an easy way for me to repay my thanks.” 

Throughout the event, Stanley was showered with comments from fans welcoming him to Long Island and to the Islanders. Those same fans were also awed at Stanley’s sheer size as they posed for photos. 

“It's been great,” Stanley said of the fan support. “It gives you confidence when you have their support, and we have great fans here. You want to be able to go out there and perform.”

Stanley Settled On The Island With Some Help From His Friends 

Stanley’s first few days as an Islander were a whirlwind.  

He learned that his deal was being finalized with the Islanders on the afternoon of Sept. 26. With his family remaining in Canada, Stanley caught a 5 p.m. plane to Long Island that evening in order to practice with the team the next morning. That afternoon, he was on a team trip to Muskoka. 

Stanley had no preseason games and just three full practices with his new team before suiting up in the season opener Sept. 30.  

Since then, Stanley has settled into his home in Manhasset where his wife Riley and three-year-old daughter Evie joined him during the last week of October.  

“It took a couple weeks but I feel pretty comfortable now,” Stanley said. “The guys have been great. Organization’s been awesome. My family's in town now, which makes it that much better and I've really enjoyed my time so far. Trying to get better every day and keep going.” 

Just a few days after Stanley moved into his new place, he was greeted by his new neighbors.  

Bo Horvat brought his wife Holly and their three children over to Stanley’s house for a quick visit to check in on the newest member of their Islanders family.  

“They just were out for a family walk, and we're just right up the road, so he stopped and said hi,” Stanley said. “Met his wife and kids, and it’s just stuff that captains do.” 

It was a reassuring moment for Stanley who joined a group of entirely new teammates after playing the first five-and-a-half seasons of his career with the Winnipeg Jets.  

The extent of Stanley’s connection with any of the Islanders was the season he played with Brayden Schenn’s brother Luke. In fact, Stanley and Luke Schenn were packaged together in a deal from Winnipeg to the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline last season. 

However, Stanley did have a familiar face on the Islanders coaching staff with Assistant Coach Rocky Thompson. 

Stanley and Thompson won the 2017 Memorial Cup together – the pinnacle tournament for major junior hockey in Canada – with the Windsor Spitfires. Thompson was one of the first people to reach out to Stanley after he signed.  

“I love playing for Rock,” Stanley said. “We had a great relationship when I played for him in Windsor, and we had a couple good years together. I talked to him on the phone and was obviously really excited to see him when I got here. Rock’s an amazing guy and someone that I've really enjoyed spending time with.”

Stanley Adjusting To Career-High Workload

Stanley recorded the best season of his now seven-year NHL tenure in 2025-26 with a career-high 26 points across 76 games with the Jets and Sabres.  

He scored a career-high nine goals in 59 games with Winnipeg and averaged 17:12 of time-on-ice per game, which was another career best.  

Stanley has smashed that previous mark with 21:19 of time-on-ice per game this season with a minimum of 19:10 played in 16 consecutive games since the season opener.  

Four of Stanley’s top seven career single-game time-on-ice numbers have come this season with the Islanders including 26:30 against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 15.  

The increase in ice time is a byproduct of injuries to the blue line and playing alongside Schaefer. Stanley said he was ready for the workload and has embraced the opportunity.  

“I don't think I had too much trouble with it,” Stanley said. “As a player, you always want to be on ice as much as possible. The fact that I've been given an opportunity to play a lot of minutes, I want to take advantage of it. If the coaching staff is going to trust me to be out there, I want to be able to perform and help the team win.” 

Stanley’s jump in minutes comes after not participating in any training camp or preseason games to physically prepare. Instead, Stanley was forced to ready himself with solo skating sessions in the summer while his agent worked through logistics. It was a time in which Stanley rounded his body into form to be able to impact the Islanders, which he’s done with five assists through 17 games.  

“I think you got to start with a good foundation in the summer,” Stanley said. “I take that part of my job very seriously whether it's trying to find ways to get better, pushing yourself in the gym, nutrition. I think in season, getting lots of rest, maintaining your body, trying to find time to get in the gym and stay strong and fit. It's not always easy when you're tired and sluggish but you got to find a way to push through it and make sure you get your work in every day.”

Following Alexander Romanov’s season-ending ACL injury on Oct. 6 against the New York Rangers, Stanley and Schaefer have been paired together for 12 games.  

Stanley and Schaefer have the fifth best expected goals against (7.48) at 5-on-5 in the NHL this season, according to Natural Stat Trick (for defensive pairs who’ve played a minimum of 175 minutes together).  

The pair also has given up the second-fewest scoring chances against (72) in the league and sixth-fewest high-danger chances against (35) at 5-on-5 using the same timing parameters.  

Stanley said what’s helped him adapt to playing alongside Schaefer is pulling from his experience in Winnipeg where he lined up with another offensively gifted defenseman in Josh Morrissey.  

“I learned a lot from Josh [Morrissey] in playing the game, taking care of yourself, and it's funny to think that I'm learning from Schaef now because he's 19 years old, but he's such a talented person,” Stanley said. “I think the thing that's impressed me most is how well he defends. That's not always easy for young guys coming in. His defensive game is just as good as offensive game, but for me, I want to be simple and predictable for him, try and get him the puck as much as I can. He loves to skate with it. It's nice having a guy who can sometimes just break it out himself.” 

Stanley has also shined on the Isles penalty kill that ranks fifth in the NHL at 85.7 percent.  

According to Natural Stat Trick on 4-on-5 penalty kill situations, Stanley is tied for third in the NHL with 10 blocked shots and tied for ninth with five hits.  

Head Coach Pete DeBoer said Stanley has brought a steadiness to the Islanders defensive unit, something they were searching for when they signed him late in the offseason.  

“I've been really impressed with him,” DeBoer said on Nov. 3. “I can't tell you I'm surprised. I've always been a fan. I knew him as a younger player and a younger kid. He's really matured. He's a great teammate. He's great in the room, and his game fits with how we want to play.”