Should he stay or should he go?

Logan Stanley has finally arrived. Is he now about to leave?

That’s the multimillion-dollar question facing the Winnipeg Jets and their polarizing six-foot-seven defenceman, who has a knack for timing as he enjoys a breakout season ahead of pending unrestricted free agency this summer.

Stanley, 27, weighed in publicly for the first time Friday after being asked about it by the Free Press.

“You definitely think about your future and what’s going on. I think everybody would be lying if they said they didn’t think about that,” he said following his club’s optional practice at Canada Life Centre.

“There’s a lot of aspects you’re thinking about — family, kids, everything like that. You try to block it out, come every day and try to work your hardest. Whatever happens, happens. Trying to help this team to push to get into that race and make the playoffs and that’s what I’m most focused on. The rest will take care of itself.”

The Jets are trending in the right direction, now with just one regulation loss over the past eight games (5-1-2). They’ll try to keep the good times rolling when they host the high-flying Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.

There’s no denying Stanley has become a big piece of Winnipeg’s roster this year. Only 16 defencemen in the entire NHL have scored more than his eight goals, which is seven more than his previous career high. He’s recently added power-play work to his resumé and even played two games earlier this week on his off-side, firing 16 combined shot attempts.

“He is feeling it and he has been feeling it for the last little while,” said assistant coach Dean Chynoweth, who oversees the blue line.

“We are encouraging mainly because we are not getting enough shots. When you get the opportunity take the shot — bombs away. Forwards, let’s get to the net and whether it is traffic or a rebound and that is how he creates most of his stuff.”

Some will argue Stanley’s value will never be higher and the Jets should try to salvage what they can from the 18th-overall pick from the 2016 draft, who might have gone unclaimed through waivers not long ago. He is making US$1.25 million this year and is in line for a major raise, with some speculation the open market could lead to US$5 million per year.

Trade talk will get even louder if the Jets can’t gain any more ground in the playoff chase over the 11 games left until the March 6 deadline. Winnipeg may have no choice but to enter “sell” mode, and Stanley could be the most valuable chip general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has to play.

Others will counter that the Jets have nobody quite like “The Stanimal” and would regret letting him walk — particularly given the decade-long investment that now appears to be paying off. Stanley has become a genuine fan favourite and, by all accounts, loves Winnipeg, as do his wife and two young children.

For his part, Stanley doesn’t subscribe to the notion that he’s already peaked.

“I think I’m definitely improving. But I’m still trying to work on my game and I see holes in it,” he said.

“Trying to work on my defensive game more than anything. I think the offensive side of it’s great, but I still know what I have to do to stay in this league for a long time. Yeah, I think this is a great start to hopefully continued success.”

Stanley’s development path has been anything but typical, hampered both by injuries and inconsistent play. He missed two months early in the 2022-23 season with a broken ankle, then suffered a high-ankle sprain one game after his return. The next year, he was routinely a healthy scratch as Winnipeg’s deep top six went unscathed through the season.

The result: just 44 combined games over two years.

“Obviously those couple years were tough. Those (injuries) linger for a long time. Coming into the next year we had a really solid D-core. The only games I think somebody missed was when Brenden Dillon took a three-game suspension. Everybody was healthy all year, and that’s kind of unheard of,” he said.

“It’s hard to get in a groove and play, and you’re not really developing.”

There was a point when Stanley’s agent even approached the Jets to explore the possibility of a trade, believing a fresh start might be best for all parties.

“The mental part was really hard, actually. I struggled with it quite a bit,” said Stanley.

“You’re kind of second guessing yourself and you don’t have any confidence and you’re wondering what the future holds. I’m lucky that I have great family members and a lot of great friends on this hockey team that have helped me through a time that wasn’t very easy. They’ve been great throughout my career and very happy to have some great people.”

Opportunity came knocking last year as Stanley set career highs in games played (63) and points (14) for the No. 1 team during the regular season. But an entirely new level has now been unlocked, with Stanley already up to 16 points and looking like an offensive threat every time he’s on the ice.

“I thought last year I took strides in my game to get my confidence back and then this year has been solid. A lot of hard work in the summer and preparation. It’s nice to see that it’s paying off,” he said.

Chynoweth, who spent a decade playing pro at both the NHL and AHL levels and now has more than 25 years of coaching experience on his resumé, believes Stanley is just starting to scratch the surface of his potential and could be a proverbial late bloomer.

“He has been given more opportunity because he has earned it. Where he can take it to? We will see,” he said.

“A six-foot-seven defenceman that is a specimen both offensively and defensively. I think the defensive side is something him and I talk about quite a bit. Less time in our end, being a strong defencemen is going to lend to the other end everybody wants to play in to. He has done a really good job of staying focused and in the moment from game to game.”

Stanley and the Jets now turn their attention to a Detroit team that leads the Atlantic Division, beat Winnipeg 2-1 on New Year’s Eve and arrives in town riding a 7-1-1 stretch.

Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is expected to play in his 600th game — fittingly against his hometown team — while defenceman Josh Morrissey needs one point to tie Dustin Byfuglien for top spot in franchise scoring among all blue liners.

“They’ve got some young skilled players with a good core and good veterans,” said Stanley. “Obviously they’re rolling right now, so it’s going to be a good test for us. They’re playing well. I think limiting their rush game will be huge. They can make plays and score off the rush.”

Back to the Moose

The Jets also made a pair of roster moves on Friday morning, sending forward Danny Zhilkin and defenceman Isaak Phillips back to the Manitoba Moose. Zhilkin appeared in four games with the big club, while Phillips made two appearances. They were in the lineup a few hours later as the Moose hosted the Grand Rapids Griffins at Canada Life Centre.

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