I hate to be pedantic, but Michael Stone purportedly being the Flames' 9th defenseman down the stretch last season has no bearing on how he affects the future of this team. He will most likely be the team's 6th defenseman next season, with likely two others (Andersson and Valimaki) making near-minimum salaries. Additionally, he should not have been the Flames' 9th defenseman last year, considering that he was most likely better than the likes of Fantenberg, Kylington, and Prout, all three of whom are longshots return to the Flames to begin next season. Plus, Stone makes $3.5 million for only one more season, making his salary very easy to offload if necessary (which it should not be).
What will compound the Neal issue further is the lingering Brouwer buyout salary of $1.5 million and the potentially diminishing returns offered by Backlund and Giordano as they collectively cost over $12 million for the next three seasons.
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