With the NHL’s trade deadline just nine days away, the Calgary Flames became the first team to make a significant addition via the rental market.
The Arizona Coyotes traded top-four defenceman Michael Stone to the Flames Monday for a third-round draft pick in 2017 and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2018.
Arizona will retain half of the salary remaining on Stone’s contract, a one-year, $4-million deal that expires July 1, at which point Stone becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Stone will only cost the Flames $544,444 in cap space for the remainder of the season, according to CapFriendly.com. The Flames kick in the fifth-rounder if Stone re-signs with Calgary.
Stone, 26, ranks third in ice time among all Coyotes this season, averaging 20:13 per game. He has one goal and eight assists with a minus-5 rating through 45 games.
A third-round Coyotes draft pick in 2008, Stone reached career highs in assists (30), points (36) and penalty minutes (62) in 2015-16.
The Flames are in a dogfight for wild card berth in the Western Conference, sitting one point up on Winnipeg and two points up on Los Angeles at the time of the trade.
Arizona still has a number players for rent prior to March 1, including captain Shane Doan, centre Martin Hanzal and winger Radim Vrbata.
