Drafting Chase Stillman over Logan Stankovan
Tom Fitzgerald’s drafting resume is a pretty mixed bag. Some players he drafted can have some potential once they get to the NHL, like right winger Lenni Hämeenaho and Cam Squires, just to name a few. However, for every good potential prospect, Fitzgerald does have bad picks on his resume, including one big one that was just recently confirmed to be a bust.
Chase Stillman has become one of the most forgettable prospects ever considered. Stillman didn’t even make the NHL in the short time he was with the Utica Comets, scoring only 24 points last season and only 9 points this season. Stillman was such a forgettable prospect that Fitzgerald used him to acquire Cody Glass at the 2025 Trade Deadline.
What made it worse was that the Dallas Stars selected right winger Logan Stankoven a couple of picks later. Stankoven looked pretty good in the NHL for his first two seasons, scoring 14 points in his first season and improving to 29 points as of this writing. It gets even worse now that Stankoven has been traded to Carolina to play with the Hurricanes and is now in the Devils' division. Carolina has had the Devils' number in both playoffs and regular season success, so having another player like Stankoven who can play well in their system will make Fitzgerald regret choosing Stillman over Stankoven.