Stone absolutely needs to come back. Not because he's an elite player (although he is very good). But because he makes Brodie that much better. A good Brodie is a top 20 D in the league. I think everyone hopes last season was an anomaly with Brodie and he can get back to form. He struggled for a bit without Gio as his partner, but instantly improved the second he got away from Wideman and was paired with Stone.
I know we all like to look at stats and salary and such. But there is something to be said for chemistry between players. Some players just have it. Brodie/Stone has it.
IMO outside of a star goalie, a ''back to form Brodie'' has a bigger impact on the team going forward then Gaudreau being back to PPG, Monahan scoring 30 or the bottom 6 forwards carrying the workload.
What better player to help Brodie get back to the form then the very partner he finished the season with. IMO getting Stone signed to a reasonable deal is very much a high priority. Even more then a top 6 RW spot.
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