Arizona Coyotes’ Michael Stone Could Be A Trade Option
By Alex Temes
The Arizona Coyotes are in uncharted territory having a surplus of talent on their blue line in Michael Stone, meaning that a trade may soon be on the horizon.
This season could have been the year things turned around for the Arizona Coyotes.
The organization had a plethora of young talent percolating in from the minor and junior leagues while already established players were tabbed to hit their prime.
But things haven’t gone to plan, or at least not yet.
The Coyotes have suffered a variety of injuries, stretching from Martin Hanzal‘s lower body injury to Mike Smith‘s knee injury during the second game into the season.
It’s safe to say injuries have played a role so far.
In fact, one player who started the season on the injured reserve is Michael Stone, who was recovering from major knee surgery after being injured against the Flyers late last season. And despite Stone being injured, his injury and subsequent short term re-injury may have been a good thing for the team.
When Stone reinjured himself right after making his season debut, young talent Tony DeAngelo was called up from Tucson and the kid has not looked back since, putting up 6 points over 8 games.
Yet despite having to fight for ice time every night since DeAngelo complicated the pairings, as well as his knee issues, Stone has immense trade value as a relatively young, all-around right-handed defenseman.
If you’re unaware, productive top four right-handed defensemen are like unicorns.
They don’t become available often. Left-handers? You can get one. Righties? Ehh.
Trading Stone could command a variety of players, from a draft pick or two, to a decent prospect, or a top-9, young forward with a little growing potential or even a combination of those options.
The point being, the return on Stone, given the right trade partner and the right amount of desperation due to an injury or slipping point totals, could command a massive return.
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In fact, according to Hockey Reference, Stone’s stat similarities are close to established defensemen Chris Tanev and Alexei Emelin which could be good indicators of just how much Stone could be worth.
The issue is finding the right partner. Stone has been the subject of some Edmonton rumors, but the Coyotes allowing a player like Stone to stay in their own division may not be the wisest move.
Some Eastern Conference teams who are pushing for longer playoff runs (Tampa Bay and Montreal) could become interested closer to the deadline while other teams just looking to squeeze their way into the playoffs (Detroit, Dallas) could also come calling come February.
Keeping Stone is not out of the question either.
He was drafted by the team and has played an important role in keeping the defense afloat over the last two years. The team could choose to retain Stone through the year, either by carrying eight defenseman or finally sending DeAngelo back to Tucson.
Nothing is absolute, but given the current need for right-handed defensemen across the NHL, it seems like a decent long term move to trade a player in his contract year like Stone.
As odd as it seems given the team’s recent history, the Arizona Coyotes suddenly have a lot of decent defenseman and not enough space to play them all.
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With the impending expansion draft for the Vegas Golden Knights looming, the Coyotes may move Michael Stone along with others in an attempt to get returns on players who could command a decent amount of trade value.
As we’ve seen with prior deadline trades, the return may be worth the heartbreak.