Sarah McLellan

azcentral sports

Having never navigated the rehab from ACL and MCL surgery before, Coyotes defenseman Michael Stone isn’t exactly sure when he’ll be able to return to game action.

But he does feel his knee is healing properly.

“I’m doing really good actually,” Stone said. “I think my knee is coming along nicely.”

The injury seemed to play a role in his negotiations for a new contract, with the two sides agreeing to a one-year contract Thursday worth $4 million; fellow blue-liner Connor Murphy landed a six-year, $23.1 million deal the same day.

Sidelined since March 26 when he got his left leg tangled along the boards in a game against the Flyers, Stone has yet to get back on the ice, but that could happen soon.

He’s been able to run – not accelerating too quickly or taking off for an intense sprint. Even so, it’s progress.

“It’s still not real strong just yet,” Stone said. “But I feel really good, and the fact that I’m doing the things that I’m doing right now is a positive sign for me.”

Stone plans to spend the remainder of his offseason in the Valley. That gives Coyotes personnel the opportunity to monitor his recovery, which was initially pegged at a minimum of six months. Arizona's first regular-season game is Oct. 15, about six-and-a-half months after Stone's surgery.

“I’m pushing to be ready to go for the start of the season,” he said. “Whether that happens or not, I guess in some way it’s in my control. But you have to see how everything responds. It’s something where your legs are what you’re using 100 percent of the time on the ice. You gotta be ready to go, so we’ll see what happens with that.”

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Blue-line shuffle

The Stone and Murphy signings are the latest for a blue line that has been under heavy construction this summer.

And the new additions – Alex Goligoski, Luke Schenn and Anthony DeAngelo headline the group – have pleased the returning regulars.

“It’s cool to know that they’re going to be with us next year and helping in so many ways,” Murphy said. “We have a solid group of D-men. I wouldn’t say there’s a weakness in any area. It’s exciting, and it’s going to help us push each other and we’re going to need to have good depth and be able to push for more wins to get in the playoffs and try to accomplish the ultimate goal.”

Both right shots, it isn’t clear at this point who Stone and Murphy will be paired with; General Manager John Chayka said performance will help dictate those decisions, but he also noted coach Dave Tippett has plenty of flexibility.

“We’re really strong,” Stone said. “I’m really excited about the guys we added, and hopefully a guy like Goligoski – I’d love to be on that right side there paired with him. I think he only makes the team better, and hopefully I can complement him if I end up playing with him.”

Lots of talk

This was the first time Murphy, who was coming off his entry-level contract, went through a negotiation like this, but he said the process wasn’t stressful for him.

And despite the time it took to actually reach a deal, Chayka didn’t feel the two sides hit any major snags during their talks.

“There were no signs where I felt things had stalled or become contentious or where we were off on different pages,” he said. “We were fairly close from the beginning and worked toward something that we felt is fair and equitable for everyone.”

The Coyotes also took their time with Stone’s camp, exploring all options with Stone’s injury and the fact he filed for salary arbitration taken into consideration.

A hearing with an arbitrator was scheduled for Thursday in Toronto, a process that Chayka said he wasn’t concerned about and planned to approach professionally.

“I think both sides felt this could be the outcome rather than maybe dragging through that,” he said. “Let’s just cut to the chase and get to an agreement on a one-year deal, and we wanted to be amicable in the sense we still view Michael Stone as a long-term player for the Coyotes.

"Right now wasn’t the time to execute on that vision, and I think he shared that vision with us based on my discussions with his agent. But certainly something that we can revisit and as he returns to health and continues his performance, maybe it's a more seamless discussion at that time."

Reach the reporter at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.