Quote:
Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle
Why would we just dump defensive depth, regardless of contract, just to solve the problem of having defensive depth?
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Because your team is better with that "defensive depth" not being a regular, and that contract virtually dictates that player being a regular.
You think ownership is okay with Stone being in the press box for the next two years, even if that's where he ought to be? At 3.5M/2Y, that's not a guy you want eating popcorn.
Not only does his salary force (yet another, as if Raymond/Brouwer/Bouma weren't enough) buyout of year 3 of his deal, it kills any return value Stone might hypothetically have (assuming he has any, which I don't know if he does). No one will trade for Stone if he is a regular healthy scratch. But he's not good enough to make the team better. That cap space could, however, make the team better.
Trading him sooner rather than later is common sense at this point because we've seen how ineffective he is without OEL / Brodie setting him up for a bunch of one-timers, which is his only real NHL-level skill.