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Mark Stone

Mark Stone Returns To Vegas Golden Knights Practice

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The Vegas Golden Knights have two games remaining in their season and, despite the Edmonton Oilers’ incredible recent run, still hold first place in the Pacific Division. As they try to lock up the division, they received a significant emotional boost as captain Mark Stone returned to practice in a non-contact jersey.

The team has also recalled Kaedan Korczak from the AHL and brought Adin Hill back from his conditioning stint.

Stone, 30, has been out since mid-January with a back injury that continues to limit his playing time. The veteran winger has managed 200 games over the past four seasons combined, including just 43 this season. That said, he was exceptional in those games, scoring 17 goals and 38 points while continuing to provide his elite defensive ability.

His season was cut short when he underwent another back surgery at the end of January. At the time, the team listed him out “indefinitely,” but has given positive reports in recent weeks.

The timing of his return will certainly raise some eyebrows, even if Stone’s injury is legitimate. The Golden Knights used most of the salary cap relief from moving Stone (and Robin Lehner and Nolan Patrick) to long-term injured reserve, adding players like Jonathan Quick, Ivan Barbashev, and Teddy Blueger at the deadline.

Vegas currently has a cap hit of over $96MM, using nearly $14MM in LTIR relief. When the playoffs start, they could activate Stone without any repercussions.

That’s not to say they’re without injuries now, though. Jack Eichel, Shea Theodore, and Zach Whitecloud were all absent from practice today. That’s why Korczak, one of the team’s top prospects, is up to help them with the last few games. The 22-year-old defenseman has 14 points in 50 games with the Henderson Silver Knights this season, and has appeared in 11 career games with Vegas.

Golden Knights Notes: Hill, Stone, Theodore

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The Golden Knights should be getting some help soon between the pipes as they announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned goaltender Adin Hill to AHL Henderson on a conditioning stint.  The 26-year-old has missed the last month with a lower-body injury but the fact he’s going to the Silver Knights means that he should at least be ready to suit up if needed for Vegas in the playoffs.  Hill has an impressive 2.45 GAA along with a .915 SV% in 27 games this season, a nice platform year as he gets set to test unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer.  While Jonathan Quick and Laurent Brossoit have helped keep Vegas atop the battle for first in the Pacific Division, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them turn to Hill for the postseason if he’s fully recovered.

More from Vegas:

  • Speaking with reporters today (video link), head coach Bruce Cassidy provided a small update on winger Mark Stone. The veteran has been “progressing well and there have been no setbacks, so that’s encouraging. I don’t know if that’s optimistic, it’s just he’s progressing well. No news is good news in terms of bad news.”  Stone has missed nearly three months with a back injury but there is clearly no timetable for a return.  That said, the fact things aren’t getting any worse is at least a positive sign.  The 30-year-old was in the middle of a productive campaign with 38 points in 43 games prior to the injury.
  • Also in Cassidy’s presser, he indicated that defenseman Shea Theodore won’t accompany the team for Saturday’s game in Dallas. The blueliner has missed five straight games since being injured against Edmonton late last month.  Theodore sits second on the team in points by a defender with 41 in just 54 contests while his 21:31 ATOI also ranks second on Vegas.  Cassidy won’t be able to provide an update on Theodore until he’s cleared to practice and wasn’t sure if he’ll be able to skate next week.

Golden Knights Transfer Mark Stone To LTIR

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At the beginning of the month, Golden Knights winger Mark Stone underwent back surgery with no timetable for his return.  That was certainly a big blow as the captain has 38 points in 43 games so far this season.  Now, the team has made the anticipated move as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve placed the veteran on LTIR.  In doing so, Vegas now has an extra $9.5MM in spending room while their LTIR pool now eclipses $23.5MM with Shea Weber, Robin Lehner, and Nolan Patrick also on there.  They’ve already used $750K of that with today’s emergency recall of goaltender Michael Hutchinson.

With the trade deadline now less than two weeks away, this gives Vegas a boost in what they’re allowed to spend; while many of the other contenders are in either dollar-in, dollar-out situations or have limited flexibility, the options that the Golden Knights now have are much more plentiful.  Of course, going that route will come with some risks as well.  If GM Kelly McCrimmon goes and spends that money, Stone likely won’t be able to come back for the rest of the season as Vegas would have to get back into compliance before they could activate him.  The only way that could happen in that situation is if more players are out long-term and have high enough cap hits to offset Stone’s AAV.

Stone was actually in this same situation last year.  He was dealing with a back injury and went on LTIR with Vegas tap-dancing around the LTIR limit all season long; he was only able to return when three regular veterans landed on there late in the year.  It’s too early to say if that could be an option this time around as he remains out indefinitely.  But in the meantime, the Golden Knights now have considerably more options heading into the trade deadline than they did a month ago when Stone was still in the lineup.

Snapshots: Flyers, Stone, Stars

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In 2018, the New York Rangers issued a letter to their season ticket holders explaining that a rebuild was coming and beloved players would be on their way out. The Chicago Blackhawks followed suit in 2020, and now the Philadelphia Flyers are the latest to try and explain their actions through personal appeal. The Flyers sent out a note today from head coach John Tortorella that read, in part (via Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic):

This season I’ve challenged the veterans on the team, and I’ve been very happy with their response. Beyond the stts, they’ve shown a willingness to adapt, compete, and lead our group both on and off the ice.

Now, I’m not going to lie to you – and I want to be clear about this – we’re not there yet. Thi year was the first step in building the future of the FLyers and restoring our reputation as one of the most respected teams in hockey. 

It is rather telling that the team decided this letter should come from Tortorella, not general manager Chuck Fletcher. As O’Connor points out, it suggests that the organization “knows Torts is the better (or more trusted) messenger” at the moment. Fletcher’s moves have largely disappointed in recent years, while Tortorella at least has the undermanned Flyers group fighting (sometimes literally) every night.

  • Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone was listed out indefinitely after undergoing back surgery, but head coach Bruce Cassidy wouldn’t rule him out completely when asked today. Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun relays Cassidy’s comments that there could be an “opportunity” for Stone’s return if the Golden Knights can make the playoffs. Vegas currently sits in the third Pacific Division spot but holds a tenuous lead over the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.
  • The Dallas Stars are in no rush to make moves and will wait to “get a feel for the market,” according to general manager Jim Nill in conversation with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Nill noted that injuries over the next few weeks could drastically impact the team’s strategy at the deadline, and so too could strong performances from young players in the minor leagues. Sometimes overlooked as a contender, Dallas currently leads the entire Western Conference with 66 points and a +40 goal differential.

Mark Stone Undergoes Back Surgery, Out Indefinitely

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Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone underwent back surgery on Tuesday and is out indefinitely, according to a release from the team. The team expects Stone to make a full recovery.

This is Stone’s second major back injury concern in as many seasons. He was limited to just 37 games last season with back issues, which Stone noted caused severe nerve pain. Stone underwent an offseason back surgery and came back ready to go for the 2022-23 campaign.

The Winnipeg-born winger is in the fourth season of an eight-year, $76MM contract extension he signed with Vegas in March 2019. Considering Stone’s impact on the team and franchise, Vegas’ acquisition price of Oscar Lindberg, Erik Brannstrom, and a 2020 second-round pick to get Stone from the Ottawa Senators seems tame in hindsight.

With just over two months left in the regular season, it’s a fair bet to say Stone won’t play again in the regular season. It opens the possibility for Vegas to place Stone’s $9.5MM cap hit on long-term injured reserve, which would total north of $23MM of cap relief when including the contracts of Shea Weber, Robin Lehner, and Nolan Patrick.

Vegas’ organizational depth is dwindling due to some monster trades in the past few seasons. Does general manager Kelly McCrimmon have something left in the tank to acquire a bona fide top-six piece in Stone’s absence?

With 38 points in 43 games, Stone remains Vegas’ second-leading scorer at the time of writing. His offensive production is hard enough to replace, but the added loss of his leadership creates a gargantuan hole in the Golden Knights lineup.

Since Stone exited the lineup on January 12, the team is just 1-5-2 and averages just two goals per game. They’ve lost their grip on the Pacific Division to the Seattle Kraken and risk falling even further down the standings if their scoring doesn’t heat up. If Vegas can’t manage to string some wins together in the week after the All-Star break, it could add pressure on McCrimmon to make a trade sooner rather than later.

Injury Notes: Bennett, Jarry, Golden Knights, Backstrom, Klingberg

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Unfortunately, there’s a lot of minor injury news to report from tonight’s games. We start in Florida, where head coach Paul Maurice said pregame that Sam Bennett wouldn’t be in the lineup when they take on the Penguins tonight.

Bennett took an awkward fall in yesterday night’s loss to the Rangers, immediately leaving the game and staying in the room through the first intermission. It didn’t hold him out of the rest of the game, however, as he would later return. While he won’t suit up tonight, it does seem to be a short-term absence for Bennett, who’s been in and out of the lineup over the past month with some minor injury concerns. Eetu Luostarinen, who’s impressed with 10 goals and 22 points in 49 games this year, slides into the top six with Bennett out.

  • After leaving injured reserve a few days ago, Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry is back out of the lineup with an injury. His absence leaves both Pittsburgh and Florida without backup goalies on the bench for tonight’s game, as Spencer Knight was unexpectedly still unable to play and was a late absence from the Florida lineup. It’s hopefully a short-term absence for Jarry, who’s been spectacular with a .921 save percentage in 27 appearances for the Penguins this year.
  • There’s some positive news on Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone, says ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. While he’ll be out through the All-Star break as expected, his back issue is different than the one that plagued him throughout last season, greatly reducing the likelihood of his long-term career being affected. Kaplan also says defenseman Shea Theodore, who’s been out since early December with an undisclosed injury, is an option for Friday’s game against the Rangers.
  • Days after returning from significant hip surgery recovery, Nicklas Backstrom is back out of the Washington Capitals lineup with a non-COVID illness and is day-to-day. The 35-year-old has three assists in seven games since returning to the lineup.
  • The Anaheim Ducks will also be down a player due to illness: defenseman John Klingberg. 25-year-old call-up Colton White moves into Anaheim’s top-four in Klingberg’s absence, playing on his off-side. Klingberg has just 15 points in 40 games this season, a career-low as he’s destined for free agency once again this offseason.

Snapshots: Stone, Harkins, Zohorna, Sergachev

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The Vegas Golden Knights will be without Mark Stone for the next little while, announcing that he is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. That will scare a lot of fans worried about his back, but head coach Bruce Cassidy wouldn’t comment. As much as anything, Vegas’s return to contention has a lot to do with the play of Stone, who managed just 37 (rarely healthy) games last season.

Through 43 appearances this year, the 30-year-old forward has 17 goals and 38 points, and once again has taken his place as one of the best two-way players in the game. A lengthy absence will be a huge blow to the Golden Knights, especially given how close the standings are in the Pacific Division. Remember, Vegas led the division at this point last year too, only to fall out of the race and miss the playoffs completely by the end of the season.

  • The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Jansen Harkins under emergency conditions as several forwards deal with a non-COVID illness. To make room, Ville Heinola has been sent back to the minor leagues. Harkins, 25, has scored five goals in 22 games this season with the Jets, but was getting just a handful of shifts the last couple of times he dressed in the NHL. Heinola, meanwhile, has appeared just eight times, recording his first point of the season earlier this month.
  • Radim Zohorna continues his daily shuffle, this time headed back down to the AHL. The big forward has already been involved in five transactions this month, going down between games so that the Flames can save some cap space.
  • Mikhail Sergachev’s wallet is a little bit lighter after he was handed a $5,000 fine for punching Conor Garland in last night’s Tampa Bay Lightning-Vancouver Canucks game. The play went unpenalized by the on-ice officials, causing confusion among anyone watching the game. The Lightning are lucky Sergachev isn’t getting sat down for a game, though perhaps that has to do with the fact that Garland attempted a similar shot a few seconds earlier. Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet reports that Sergachev apologized to Garland after the game and that the Vancouver forward was “used to it” because he has “played like a rat” since he was 16.

Afternoon Notes: Schedule, Stone, Sabres, Team Canada Captains, Hershey Bears

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More hockey? You’d be hard-pressed to find a fan who wouldn’t want it. Earlier this week, there had been some discussions about the NHL potentially expanding the season back to an 84 game schedule for the first time since the 1993-94 campaign. Last night on Hockey Night in Canada’s 32 Thoughts segment, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman expanded on those rumors with an idea of what that schedule might look like, and how the league could get there.

In effect, the schedule would be expanded an additional two games to promote intra-division rivalries, such as the one between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers or the one between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders, both of which have seen their head-to-head matchups drop off in recent years. As Friedman details, the schedule would consist of four games against each of the other teams within the division, three games each against each team in the opposing division, and two against each team in the opposite conference. To balance things out, each team’s slate of preseasons games could be cut down. It doesn’t appear that any change is imminent, however Friedman adds that there is a willingness to discuss the change between the league and the NHLPA, however there hasn’t been much dialogue on the subject recently.

  • Things didn’t look good for Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone last night when he went down in obvious pain during the third period of the team’s game against the New York Islanders. The winger struggled to get off the ice with the assistance of his teammates, but surprisingly was able to come back and join them in the final moments of the game. Unsurprisingly, after the game, Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy was asked about the status of his star forward, telling The Athletic’s Jesse Granger that the hope is Stone’s injury is “just a stinger,” but he wouldn’t know much more until today. Cassidy added that Stone was not 100% when he rejoined the team late in the game. So far, no additional information has come out about Stone’s status. Vegas next plays at home on Monday against the Sabres.
  • Yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres were able to get forward Kyle Okposo back from injury and Jeff Skinner back from suspension, but were without defensemen Owen Power, Jacob Bryson, and Ilya Lyubushkin. The team didn’t have much information on Power or Bryson, and the same holds true today, however according to The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington, Ilya Lyubushkin is set to return tomorrow against Vegas. Noticeably absent from the ice this morning were defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson, but as Harrington adds, both were absent simply for rest purposes.
  • With the World Junior Championship just eight days away, Hockey Canada announced its leadership group for this year’s World Juniors team. Captaining the group will be Seattle Kraken forward and fourth-overall pick in 2022, Shane Wright. Assisting him will be Arizona Coyotes forward Dylan Guenther, Dallas Stars draft pick and current Kamloops Blazers forward Logan Stankoven, Anaheim Ducks draft pick and Quebec Remparts forward Nathan Gaucher, as well as Chicago Blackhawks draft pick and Mississauga Steelheads defenseman Ethan Del Mastro. Canada will kick things off against Czechia on December 26th.
  • Many don’t necessarily think about when an NHL team chooses to recall a player from their affiliate, it could set off a chain reaction of needs within their system, and that’s just what happened with the Washington Capitals and their goaltenders. When Darcy Kuemper went down a couple of weeks ago, the team recalled Hunter Shepard, which Hershey was able to cope with by recalling Clay Stevenson from the ECHL. No problem. But, when Washington also recalled Zachary Fucale yesterday in the wake of Shepard’s upper-body injury, Hershey was forced to sign an emergency back-up to a PTO for their game last night. Today, the Bears were able to smooth things out in net prior to their game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this afternoon, bringing up netminder Tyler Wall from the South Carolina Stingrays, Hershey and Washington’s ECHL affiliate. In a corresponding move, defenseman Martin Has has been sent to South Carolina. While this is a relatively minor move, it does give context for the transactions NHL teams make that sometimes seem to be done just for the sake of doing them.

Injury Notes: Avalanche, Rielly, Klingberg, Stone

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If the playoffs began today, the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Colorado Avalanche, would be on the outside looking in. Colorado’s fall isn’t for a lack of talent and granted, losing Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky to free agency wasn’t exactly helpful, but instead the primary issues seem to fall squarely on injuries. The team has lost more than it’s fair share of man games to injury as they approach the one-third mark of the season and just when things couldn’t seem to get worse, Nathan MacKinnon was ruled out for four weeks.

There could be some help coming soon though, reports Brennan Vogt of Colorado Hockey Now, who spoke with Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar during his media availability earlier today. According to Bednar, forwards Darren Helm and Valeri Nichushkin could be available to play in tomorrow’s game. Nichushkin, one of the team’s premier players, was off to a blistering start with 12 points in seven games before an injury sidelined him for 17 games. Helm, a veteran utility player, has yet to suit up for Colorado this year, but given the injuries the team has dealt with, getting his versatile presence back in the lineup could pay bigger dividends than it might seem. Also of note, Bednar disclosed that forward Artturi Lehkonen, who was injured in Colorado’s game on Saturday, is currently going through concussion protocol.

  • During today’s Leafs Lunch radio program on TSN Radio, Sports Illustrated’s David Alter called in to discuss a number of Toronto Maple Leafs notes, including the status of injured defenseman Morgan Rielly. Alter acknowledged an earlier report by TSN’s Darren Dreger, who believed Rielly’s timeline to be somewhere around four-to-six weeks, but added that when he caught up with Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas recently, Toronto’s timeline was only to the extent of the LTIR minimum duration: 24 days and 10 games. Alter adds that Rielly, who has been working out with the team, has not yet resumed skating and thus the earliest return date from LTIR, which would be on December 17th, seems very unlikely. Rielly has been dealing with an MCL injury suffered in a collision with New York Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri, who was also injured on the play, back on November 21st.
  • The Athletic’s Eric Stephens writes that Anaheim Ducks defenseman John Klingberg will return to the lineup tomorrow after missing the previous seven games with a lower-body injury. Much like his Ducks, Klingberg has struggled to start this year. The offensive-minded defenseman has recorded just eight points in 20 games thus far to go with a -12 rating, which itself isn’t too out-of-line compared to his recent seasons. Klingberg had signed a one-year, $7MM deal with Anaheim this offseason with the idea that he could be dealt to a contender at the trade deadline perhaps, and test the free agent market again next summer, two things which are still on the table most likely.
  • Vegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone was notably absent from practice today, however as Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports, this was simply a maintenance day. These sorts of absences are normal throughout the NHL, especially for veterans and players who are recently back from injury or dealing with a nagging issue, but given the extent of Stone’s recent injuries and his unrelenting style of play, it makes sense that an absence even like this one would sound an alarm for some. Since returning full-time for Vegas, Stone is back to his old ways, chipping in 21 points in 28 games to go with stellar defense.

Injury Notes: Carrier, Muzzin, Blueger

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The Vegas Golden Knights have some good news and some bad news on the injury front. The good news is that captain Mark Stone has “checked all the medical boxes” according to head coach Bruce Cassidy, and should be able to take part in a preseason game in the next few days.

The bad news is that William Carrier will be re-evaluated next week after suffering an upper-body injury over the weekend. The 27-year-old Carrier is in the third season of a four-year, $5.6MM contract signed in 2020 and had 20 points in 63 games last season.

  • Jake Muzzin joined his teammates at practice today, after sitting out the last few because of an ongoing back issue. The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman did leave early as a precaution, but head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including David Alter of Sports Illustrated that Muzzin could have continued.
  • Teddy Blueger left today’s practice with the Pittsburgh Penguins partway through and is now being evaluated for an upper-body injury. Blueger is an important part of the team’s forward depth, especially as Jeff Carter deals with an upper-body injury of his own. Ryan Poehling was skating as the third-line center in their absence.

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