Report: Senators' Stone seeking record $9M in arbitration

Mark Stone is banking on a payday, as the Ottawa Senators' scoring winger is seeking $9 million annually in arbitration, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Wednesday.

Stone is scheduled for a hearing Friday. While the parties typically work out a deal beforehand, arbitration is likely in this case given the gap in negotiations - the Senators have countered with a $5-million offer.

Should Stone be awarded his salary demands, it will be the largest amount in arbitration history, topping the $7.5 million that Shea Weber was granted in 2011. Stone, 26, is coming off a three-year agreement that carried a $3.5-million cap hit, per CapFriendly.

Working in Stone's favor is that he tied for the team lead in scoring last season, notching 20 goals and 42 assists. However, knee and leg injuries limited him to just 58 appearances on the campaign, which brought his nightly production to 1.07 points per game, a career high.

While the Senators will continue to work toward a deal with Stone, they'll first face an arbitration case with defenseman Cody Ceci later Wednesday. The two sides were more than $2.6 million apart as of Monday.