Arizona Coyotes, Michael Stone Agree To One-Year Deal
The Arizona Coyotes and defenseman Michael Stone have agreed to a one-year, $4M deal to avoid arbitration.
Connor Murphy isn’t the only Arizona Coyotes defender who is signing a new deal today.
Craig Morgan reports that defender Michael Stone is set to agree to a one-year, $4M deal to avoid arbitration with the Coyotes which was scheduled for August 4th.
Provided the deal pans out, Stone will likely complete General Manager John Chayka’s defensive signings and shufflings for the offseason unless a juicy trade pops up.
2015-16 was a breakout campaign offensively for the 26-year-old, and he doubled his career high in points.
Here’s the Arizona Coyotes’ press release on Stone’s re-signing:
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"Arizona Coyotes General Manager John Chayka announced today that the Coyotes have signed defenseman Michael Stone to a one-year contract. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed."
"We are very happy to have Michael back,” said Chayka. “He had a breakthrough year for us last season and we are confident that he will fully recover from his injury and that he will play an important role for us.”"
"The 26-year-old Stone registered 6-30-36 with 62 PIM in 75 games with the Coyotes last season and has collected 23-64-87 in 279 career NHL games. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native set career-highs in points and assists and led the team with 143 blocked shots last season."
"The 6-foot-3, 210 pound defenseman was originally drafted in the third round (69th overall) by the Coyotes in the 2008 Entry Draft."
Stone rejoins a defensive corps that has seen several additions this offseason.
Chayka made a draft day trade for former Tampa Bay prospect Anthony DeAngelo, signed veteran Alex Goligoski prior to free agency, and recently signed Luke Schenn to a two-year deal.
None of those are names that jump off the page or look to revamp the Arizona Coyotes defensive unit on their own, but combined it’s clear that John Chayka was interested in providing Head Coach Dave Tippett a little more quantity and a bit higher quality than he enjoyed in 2015-16.
DeAngelo will look to shore up the team’s weak right side while Goligoski slots into the second pairing as Oliver Ekman-Larsson-lite to ensure Tipp’s team can keep the puck moving.
Schenn’s place on the roster is a bit more interesting.
His style of play is counter to what you would expect from the Arizona Coyotes under Chayka’s regime, but he does provide a bruising presence as a bottom-pairing defender.
Next: Connor Murphy Signs Six-Year Deal With Coyotes
The team will need Michael Stone to bounce back from his season-ending knee injury and continue his offensive prowess in 2016-17.
If he can sustain his play, combined with the team’s additions, the team should be improved on the back end.