Everything appears to be going smoothly with Mark Stone’s injury rehab, as head coach Bruce Cassidy told Jesse Granger of The Athletic that the Vegas Golden Knights captain is expected to be on the ice for the first day of training camp. Stone underwent back surgery in May after missing large chunks of the 2021-22 season.
Cassidy did admit that Stone may be limited by the team’s medical staff, but that his star winger feels great.
One of the biggest reasons that the Golden Knights missed the playoffs last season was the absence of Stone, who ended up playing just 37 games. Among the best defensive forwards in the game, and a top-5 Selke finalist for three years running, his ailing back kept moving him in and out of the lineup until he was finally shut down.
In those 37 games, Stone still managed to score nine goals and 30 points but averaged his lowest ice time since his rookie season. If fully healthy, he should be back in contention for the Selke and back to the point-per-game production he showed through his first two years in Vegas.
Given that the Golden Knights are dealing with a major injury to goaltender Robin Lehner and have some other holes popping up around their roster, the play of their stars will be even more important. Stone, Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo, and Shea Theodore will have to be excellent for the team to get back to the postseason.