NHL Trade Rumors: Flames to acquire Michael Stone from Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes have reportedly traded defenseman Michael Stone to the Calgary Flames.
So far, there hasn’t been too much trade action in the NHL, despite the trade deadline approaching. However, sometimes all it takes is one trade to open the floodgates. According to Bob McKenzie, the trade might have just happened. The Arizona Coyotes will reportedly send defenseman Michael Stone to the Calgary Flames.
Sounds like ARI has traded Michael Stone to CGY.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 20, 2017
Calgary has been looking to add a top four defenseman, so this makes a bit of sense. Moreover, they could re-sign Stone, pending the results of this summer’s expansion draft. The price, according to Elliotte Friedman, is a third round pick and a conditional fifth rounder.
This trade makes sense for both sides. The Flames get to upgrade their blue line while not paying an outrageous price. Stone isn’t a huge upgrade, but he’s still an upgrade. The Flames needed to add someone to their right side. Stone should fit right in on their second pairing and has proven capable of playing over 20 minutes. However, it’s worth noting a lot of his success has come alongside Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Meanwhile, Arizona gets something for someone they would have had to risk losing for nothing. They could re-sign him in the offseason. Considering their lack of right-handed defensive depth, doing so is quite plausible. Arizona is in a bit of a pickle, as their three best defensemen are left-handed. Coach Dave Tippett likes using defensemen on their natural side, so this obviously creates some issues.
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Stone has nine points this season in 45 games with a plus-minus rating of -5. His possession numbers are not impressive, as he has a -5.0 relative CorsiFor percentage at even strength. However, Stone does start over half of his zone starts in the defensive zone, so this might skew his possession numbers a bit.