The big "what if" hanging over the Stars' latest playoff loss feat. Logan Stankoven
Photo credit: NHL.com
After another playoff exit to the Oilers, the question lingers: could Logan Stankoven have made a difference for the Dallas Stars?
For the second straight season, the Edmonton Oilers sent the Dallas Stars home in the Western Conference Final.
The series wasn't just a loss - it was a physical mismatch. Edmonton dominated the hits column, often by 30 or more per game. That's why some Stars fans are asking the same question: if Logan Stankoven was still in Dallas, would things have ended differently?
Stankoven, traded to the Carolina Hurricanes last season in the blockbuster Mikko Rantanen deal, played just a short stint in Dallas but left a strong impression. Despite standing 5-foot-8, his fearless approach made him one of the Stars' most energetic players.
«He plays way bigger than his frame, and he's never afraid to get in the dirty areas,»
one former teammate told NHL.com.Logan Stankoven's grit vs. the Dallas Stars' Western Conference Final collapse
While his physicality could have helped, the Stars' problems against the Oilers ran deeper. They struggled to slow down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, often giving them far too much space. Offensive leaders like Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnston went quiet when Dallas needed them most.
As Blackout Dallas pointed out, even with Stankoven's grit and occasional scoring, the structural issues and lack of pushback across the roster would have been too much for one player to fix.
«You can't expect one guy to change an entire playoff series, especially when the team is getting outworked in all areas,»
a Western Conference scout told reporters.I think Stankoven would have brought some fire, but he alone couldn't have erased the gap Edmonton exposed.
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