SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The past six months have brought dramatic change to Michael Stone‘s life. When the Coyotes traded Zbynek Michalek to St. Louis at the trade deadline in March, Stone got a chance to play with Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Arizona’s top defensive pairing.

In July, he married his longtime girlfriend, Michelle, and the couple celebrated their honeymoon in Bora Bora.

Forever is off to a pretty good start! It's been a treat, Bora Bora! #mrandmrs26 pic.twitter.com/WFmeMPy5Bz — Michelle Stone (@michellestone26) July 26, 2015

“It was a lot of fun,” Stone said of a ceremony attended by defenseman Brandon Gormley and forward Kyle Chipchura, and MC’ed by former Coyotes Rob Klinkhammer and Chris Summers. “I guess I’m all grown up.”

The Coyotes hope so. In assistant coach Jim Playfair’s perfect world, Stone will grab the right-handed defensive position opposite Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the team’s top pairing this season, allowing veteran Zbynek Michalek to slide down, play alongside and mentor one of the Coyotes’ younger blue-liners.

“If Stony can raise his game and play up with EL, I think we’re a better team,” Playfair said.

That sentiment is music to Stone’s ears.

“That makes me feel like there’s some confidence in my ability if I can do it on a consistent basis,” he said after an informal team skate at the Ice Den on Monday. “Playing with Oliver toward the end of the year was a good partial foot in the door for me to become one of the higher paired players. He makes everything easy.”

It’s no secret the Coyotes tried to acquire Dougie Hamilton from Boston this offseason to pair with Ekman-Larsson on the top pairing. While outsiders still want the Coyotes to add a right-handed defenseman such as Cody Franson in free agency, however, the belief by many within the organization is that Stone has a greater upside than any free agent left on the market.

Stone, 25, has shown flashes of offensive ability the past two seasons, including that big shot that netted him eight goals in the 2013-14 season. Last season, however, Stone was tasked with becoming more reliable in his own end. Playfair and coach Dave Tippett wanted Stone to become, “harder to play against.” That certainly meant playing a more physical game in his own zone, but the oft-used phrase isn’t confined to that definition.

“O(EL) is not one to be physical on a regular basis,” Stone said. “He’s hard to play against because you can’t get around him. His stick is so good and his anticipation of the play is so good. He does all those little things that go a long way.

“That’s something I focused on last year, getting my stick in the right spot. A lot of times, when we were doing video sessions, I saw that one little movement with my stick on the ice could pay huge dividends. If I can continue to think about that then it becomes second nature and I become a better defender.”

Stone and Ekman-Larsson are no strangers to each other. They played together in the AHL.

“I thought he was really good last year,” Ekman-Larsson said. “I think he’s ready for taking the next step.”

Stone understands that Michalek could still end up playing with Ekman-Larsson because the pair’s styles mesh.

“Z is a heck of a player at shutting down whatever top line’s out there,” Stone said. “Maybe that could free up O to do more offensive things; not that he didn’t do that last year.”

All the same, Stone hopes to make the decision a hard one. Now would be a good time since he will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

“Last year was not a fun year by any means because the team struggled, but individually it was another good step in the right direction for me,” he said. “I increased my minutes, I increased the caliber of player I was playing against.

“I don’t think anybody would turn down the chance to play with O. If that’s where they see me fitting and I can elevate my game where I can play with him, then absolutely, I would love to do that. I’m growing more and more confident that I have the capability of doing that.”

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