Hurricanes Forward Erasing Deadline Criticism

The Carolina Hurricanes faced heavy criticism following this year's NHL Trade Deadline. The criticism is fair. The organization failed to keep superstar winger Mikko Rantanen on its roster and sent him to the Dallas Stars in return for forward Logan Stankoven and a group of draft picks.

Many viewed the Hurricanes as losers of the deadline and doubted their hopes for the Stanley Cup. The one overwhelming positive from this was the acquisition of Stankoven. The 22-year-old forward was one of the top young players in the Dallas organization, and he fits the mold perfectly for the Hurricanes.

In his debut with the Hurricanes, he showed why. The team wasted no time involving him, playing him for nearly 16 minutes of ice time over 19 shifts.

In 16 minutes, he registered two shots on goal. The second one was Stankoven's first goal with his new organization. A few minutes into the third period of their contest against the Winnipeg Jets, he redirected a shot from defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere that beat Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck. The goal raised his totals this season to 10 tallies with 20 assists for 30 points in 60 games.

What's even more impressive is how hardworking Stankoven is. While he scored a goal in his debut, he wasn't satisfied with his performance and said so following the game.

"At this level, it's so hard to beat goalies clean off of shots. A lot of goals you've just got to go to the net," he said. "Definitely wasn't my best tonight, and it's going to take some time to get used to my linemates and the systems."

The young forward is determined and equally talented. He is a consolation prize for Rantanen, but all things considered that isn't too bad. The Hurricanes are already seeing how much Stankoven can offer, and if he produces for the rest of the season he will erase all criticism the team generated at the deadline.