With Kris Versteeg all but assumed to be automatically back, the Calgary Flames have just one pending unrestricted free agent of interest: Michael Stone.
Acquired at the trade deadline, he’s been credited as a crucial part in the Flames getting to the playoffs. For lack of any better options, he slotted into the top four alongside T.J. Brodie, and the two appeared to mesh through the final quarter of the season.
If Stone comes back, though, he won’t be playing alongside Brodie; that’s what Travis Hamonic was just acquired to do. No, Stone would be a depth move, playing the right side on the bottom pairing.