Despite the additions the Coyotes have made to their defense this offseason, a few holes – two to be exact – still lingered in the lineup.
But after re-signing restricted free agents Connor Murphy and Michael Stone on Thursday, the unit seems set – or at least very close to being NHL-ready.
“It’s just a really exciting time for the whole back end,” Stone said.
The Coyotes locked up Murphy with a six-year, $23.1 million contract while agreeing to a one-year deal worth $4 million for Stone.
With Alex Goligoski, Luke Schenn and Anthony DeAngelo among the acquisitions the team made earlier in the summer to retool its look, Arizona would appear to have 11 candidates to deploy at some point next season, but subtraction via trade is still a possibility to help fine-tune the roster.