Carolina Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven looks on in warm-up before the game against the Montreal Canadiens. David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Hurricanes Forward Emerging as Playoff Warrior

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jon Alfano | Last updated May 28, 2025 7:00 AM ET

For being just 22 years old, Carolina Hurricanes forward Logan Stankoven is certainly not lacking in playoff experience.

Stankoven, a 2022 second-round pick by the Dallas Stars, has already appeared in 33 postseason games, nearly a third of his regular season total. He helped the Stars make the Western Conference Final last season, and is now in the midst of another deep run with the Hurricanes.

With 16 career postseason points (eight goals, eight assists), the youngster has been anything but a passenger.

"When his name came up (in the trade discussion with the Stars), there were a couple people in our room who practically jumped out of their chair saying, 'That guy is a Carolina Hurricane,'" Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky told NHL.com. "He was the player that our staff wanted."

On Monday, Stankoven stepped up when Carolina desperately needed someone to. With the Hurricanes facing elimination in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers, Stankoven beat Sergei Bobrovsky's blocker at 10:45 of the second period to get his team on the board first. The Hurricanes held on for a 3-0 win, so Stankoven's goal ended up standing as the game-winner.

There goes that man again pic.twitter.com/rjHN5D3gjw
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 27, 2025

"He's got a lot of fight in his game," Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said after Game 4. "He doesn't quit on any pucks. He's tenacious. He's a Hurricane through and through. He got us going tonight, but even last game he was our best player and throughout this whole series he's been our best player.

"Hopefully we won't continue to rely on him, but hopefully he keeps playing that way and we get some other guys building off that too."

Stankoven is still a very fresh face in Raleigh. He arrived on March 7 as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Mikko Rantanen to Dallas, alongside two first-round picks and two second-round picks.

Based on how he's playing, however, he clearly hasn't missed a beat.

"It's been a great fit," Stankoven said. "Full gas. Aggressive on pucks. Hunting pucks. Creating turnovers. The way we play, it's pressure all over the ice, which is great. Obviously, there's thinking, but at the same time if you're in doubt the coaches would rather you make a mistake being overaggressive than not aggressive enough, which is how I play."

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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