Stone, 26, appeared in 75 games for the Coyotes this past season, recording a career-high 30 assists and 36 total points. He also led the team with 143 blocked shots.
A restricted free agent prior to the new agreement, Stone carried an average annual valuation of $1.15 million in each of the past three seasons.
An arbitration hearing was scheduled for Aug. 4.
With Stone at 1 yr @ $4M, #Coyotes have $6.34M in cap space with roster of 11F/8D/2G + Datsyuk, Pronger.https://t.co/CpmyBFl7uZ
Since their failed experiment with red in the mid-to-late 1990s, the Blues have continued refining their sweater with simple tactics.
Blue and gold is a naturally eye-pleasing combination, and the Blue Note is one of the NHL's underrated logos. The understated design highlights these elements.
11. Vancouver Canucks
Having cycled through yellow, red, maroon, and even a purplish blue in their history, the Canucks finally landed on the right color combination with a bright green accentuating the royal blue.
The "VANCOUVER" emblazoned across the chest is unique and works for these kits, though it does make the front a little busy for captain Henrik Sedin and the leadership group.
10. Philadelphia Flyers
No team has ownership over a color quite like the Flyers.
The logos, nameplates, and numbers on the back absolutely pop on the distinctive, vibrant home oranges, and inversely with the road whites. The numbers on the shoulder, though, are a little untidy.
9. Edmonton Oilers
With two perfectly contrasting colors and old-school elements, the Oilers regained one of the league's best looks when they wisely eschewed the bronze.
The three horizontal stripes and the gap outline on the numbers make this a traditional, clean, and effective design.
8. New York Islanders
The run on orange continues with the Islanders, who use thick painted stripes to accentuate their look.
Thick block lettering on the nameplates and numbers make it easy to identify players.
Because their throwback alternates - which paid homage to previous glory days - were such a massive hit with both fans and players, the Penguins have fully embraced the championship look.
Ditching Vegas Gold for Pittsburgh Gold, the Penguins' road whites will now match the gorgeous alternates that became the sweater of choice throughout the postseason.
The Arizona Coyotes locked up restricted free-agent defenseman Connor Murphy with a six-year contract extension, the club announced Thursday.
Murphy will reportedly earn $3.85 million each season throughout the life of the contract, a source told Arizona Sports' Craig Morgan.
The 23-year-old top-four defender is an integral building block for the Coyotes, and his progress through three pro seasons suggests this deal could have enormous value down the line.
Murphy established career-best offensive totals and was a far more effective defender in his third campaign. Whether it's on the top pair with Oliver Ekman-Larsson - a look Dave Tippett showed in the latter portion of last season - or on the second pairing with newcomer Alex Goligoski, Murphy will have the proper support, giving him the opportunity to improve his underlying stats and continue refining his skills.
Arizona still has restricted free-agent forward Tobias Rieder and fellow top-four defenseman Michael Stone to sign.
In the dead of summer, let Celine Dion bring out the hockey feelings.
The legendary Canadian singer provides the soundtrack to this Phil Kessel tribute video, and even staunch detractors of the Pittsburgh Penguins are sure to be moved.
Dale Tallon is anything but a forgotten man in Florida.
Promoted to the role of president of hockey operations after a successful stint as general manager of the Florida Panthers, Tallon is embracing the new role while also retaining the privilege of final say, he told 560 WQAM Radio on Thursday.
"(The new role) allows me to focus on what I do best - and that's evaluate and travel and scout and give us information on players that will help us win a championship and keep us as a top team for the next 15 years," said Tallon.
"I think we're in great shape, as far as that's concerned. But this will free me up to do what I do best, and that's to go scout and find players for the organization."
Tallon further debunked the notion that his voice has been minimized upon the promotion of Tim Rowe from assistant GM to Tallon's former job, reiterating he still has final say amid a collaborative decision-making process.
"I have a lot to say. I'm a stubborn guy. I have opinions. I have strong opinions. I let them know where I stand. I let them know how I feel, and that's the way it is," he said.
"Bottom line is what's best for the team, doesn't matter whose voice it is - as long as we all agree that it's best for the Panthers in the long term, we're all agreeing to do what's right. We agree what's best. We disagree. But we agree to disagree, and it's been a real good process."
The Panthers were asked for permission by the Las Vegas franchise to speak with Tallon about their now-filled GM job, but he was never formally approached.
For now, he's working on unfinished business with the Panthers, with a view to bringing the Stanley Cup to South Florida.
Two of Boston's core players played a big role in attracting David Backes' attention in free agency.
The 32-year-old forward, who signed a five-year, $30-million contract on July 1, said he spoke to both Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand during the interview period, referring to them Wednesday as lead salesmen in the process.
"Talking to (Marchand) a little bit during the interview process before July 1, I hung up the phone and kind of had to take a deep breath and say, 'Is that the little disturber, pain in the butt?' He's actually a pretty good guy," Backes said, according to Eric Russo of BostonBruins.com.
"A guy like Bergeron, you play against him, he's just always in the right spot and never making mistakes. Those types of guys are guys you want on your team, guys that you love to go to war with."
His positive impressions of both, as well as the positive relationship shared by the duo both on and off the ice, helped convince him to sign with the club.
It's winning a championship, however, that means most to Backes, after not being able to hoist the Stanley Cup as captain of the St. Louis Blues.
"With the reception that I've had for the three, four weeks that I've been a Boston Bruin, you can tell that there's some passion and tons of people here that just yearn for another Cup, even though it was just five years ago there was a parade here," he said.
"That's why I came here, because you see the vision, you see the love for the team, and I want to be a part of that."
On another note, Backes will wear his familiar No. 42 with the Bruins.
As the calendar gets set to turn to August, Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving still has two massive items to check off his summer to-do list.
Both Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan - who ranked first and second in team scoring last season - remain without new contracts as restricted free agents, and Treliving stated Wednesday there's no real update to offer.
"We've obviously got Sean and Johnny's contracts and we continue to work away at that," the GM said after formally introducing goalie Brian Elliott, according to Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald.
"We'll keep picking away at that ... It's just term and money, right?" he joked.
The young stars are no doubt looking for long-term, big-money deals, and have expressed a desire to play together for years to come.
With 11 weeks to go before the start of the regular season, the Flames have close to $15 million in available cap space, much of which could be taken up by these two extensions.
Further details emerged Wednesday relating to the charges of criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, and non-criminal harassment facing Buffalo Sabres forward Evander Kane, with depositions describing Kane acting aggressively toward several people on the night of June 24 at a Buffalo bar.
The sworn depositions, obtained by The Buffalo News' Lou Michel and Dale Anderson with names redacted, come from four people who filed complaints: a bouncer and three women at the bar where Kane was serving as a celebrity bartender. Michel and Anderson write:
Each of the (three) women said Kane grabbed them forcefully by the hair. Two of them said he put his hands around their necks. The bouncer said that he needed help from another security man to remove Kane from behind the bar shortly after 3 a.m. after Kane refused his demand to leave.
"(Kane) came up to me like he always does," one of the women said in her deposition. "He said, 'You’re coming to my house with me and you’re going to like it.' ... He grabbed my neck with both hands and pulled me close. It was like I couldn’t breathe. It hurt. When I told him no, he went off. That’s how he treats women. Aggressive and disrespectful."
The bouncer said there's video surveillance evidence of Kane grabbing a woman by the throat on the dance floor.
Kane's lawyer, Paul Cambria, disputed the accounts.
"There is more to this than meets the eye," he told The Buffalo News. "I’ve seen the video and, as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t support these statements ... the motives of the speakers will be examined (in court). We’ll be delving into the motivation."
Latest on Evander Kane plus an update on the Red Wings in your NHL rumor mill. LATEST ON EVANDER KANE NBC SPORTS: Jason Brough recent noted Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations Trevor Linden didn’t rule the possibility of acquiring a player with a troubled history. Linden didn’t mention Buffalo Sabres winger Evander Kane, […]
Roundup of latest contract signings and more in this morning’s collection of NHL headlines. OTTAWA SUN: The Senators avoided salary arbitration with winger Mike Hoffman, re-signing him to a four-year, $20.75 million, or an average annual salary of $5.185 million. SPECTOR’S NOTE: After months of speculation over Hoffman’s future in Ottawa, the Senators decided […]
