Calgary Flames Acquire Michael Stone from Arizona Coyotes

The Calgary Flames have acquired Michael Stone from the Arizona Coyotes according to Bob Mckenzie.

Michael Stone to CGY for 3rd round pick and a conditional 5th in 2018. ARI retains half of Stone's salary. Condition kicks in if re-signed.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 20, 2017

Stone is hardly a stellar player, but he’s a decent piece. The move is a little bit perplexing as the Flames have no way to protect him in the upcoming expansion draft, but then again he may be a player that Las Vegas wouldn’t necessarily take. His relative expected goals, Corsi, Fenwick, scoring chances and shots for are light years above what Jyrki Jokipakka, Deryk Engelland, Dennis Wideman, or Matt Bartkowski have put up the past three years, so at the very least it’s a good short term upgrade (though his numbers this year have been quite lackluster).

The price ultimately seems a wee bit steep. If this was any other year, it wouldn’t seem so bad, but the Flames are a bubble team and while this move definitely would serve to help cement their spot in the playoffs, there are still far too many holes on the roster. Giving up a third and a fifth merely for the chance at the playoffs is perplexing when talking about a piece that might not be in Calgary next year due to the expansion draft circumstances.

by Les Mavus