- Islanders sign free agent defenseman Logan Stanley to a one-year, $1.5 million contract
- The 6-foot-7 blueliner sat unsigned all summer after ending last season with the Sabres
- Read below for what he brings to a retooled Islanders blue line
Logan Stanley has a new home for 2026-27.
The Islanders signed the veteran defenseman to a one-year, $1.5 million contract on Sunday. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman flagged the mutual interest that morning and had the number before New York made it official. Check out his post:
It took him all summer to land here.
This was his first trip through unrestricted free agency, and the market ran colder than expected for a 28-year-old, 6-foot-7, 231-pound defenseman, leaving him unsigned deep into September.
Buffalo acquired him from Winnipeg at the trade deadline on March 6, hoping his size would help down the stretch. It worked out. The Sabres won the Atlantic Division and reached the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.
Stanley chipped in five assists in 17 games after the trade, then went pointless in eight playoff games as Buffalo made it to the second round before Montreal ended the run.
Between Winnipeg and Buffalo last season, he put up 26 points on nine goals and 17 assists across 76 games, and he never quite locked down a permanent spot in coach Lindy Ruff’s lineup, which likely explains why teams stayed away all summer.
New York gets a stay-at-home option to pair with No. 5 defenseman Scott Mayfield, freeing up offensive pieces like Tony DeAngelo and reigning Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer to do more damage up ice. Our own graphic broke down the move when it dropped:
Corresponding roster moves came with the signing. New York sent 2025 first-round pick Kashawn Aitcheson, defenseman Isaiah George and forward Cole Eiserman down to the minors, and placed goalie Vitek Vanecek on waivers for assignment.
He won’t see any game action before it counts. The Islanders already played their four preseason games, so he jumps straight into the regular season when New York opens at the Maple Leafs on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Prime and MSGSN.
