Vegas Golden Knights Report Card: Mark Stone
Mark Stone is one of the elite two-way forwards in the NHL and he was seen as the final piece in the Stanley Cup puzzle for the Vegas Golden Knights after being acquired at the Trade Deadline.
Mark Stone: Grade A+
Our 2018-19 Vegas Golden Knights Report Cards continue today as we turn our attention to Mark Stone, who made an outstanding impact in Sin City after being acquired as part of a monster trade with the Ottawa Senators.
His Season
Mark Stone began 2018-19 on an Ottawa Senators team that seemed to lurch from one disaster to the next. He wore an ‘A’ on his jersey and was one of the leaders on a roster that was going through a rebuild, shedding a plethora of its more high-profile stars.
After trading away franchise icons in Mike Hoffman and Erik Karlsson prior to the start of the year, there was an air of animosity swirling around Ottawa and many predicted that the Senators were heading for a turbulent year on the ice too.
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However, thanks to a collection of high-end young talent and experienced veterans, Ottawa didn’t lie down and take a beating and proved to be competitive for much of the year, finishing with a 29-47-6 record but seeing plenty of progress from prospects in the ilk of Thomas Chabot and Brady Tkachuk.
Stone certainly played a key role for the Senators last year, posting 28 goals and 34 assists for 62 points in 59 games, including 17 points and five goals on the power play. The right wing also had a plus/minus rating of +13, in addition to a 47.2 winning percentage in the faceoff circle, 53 blocked shots, 51 hits and a staggering 88 takeaways.
Such was Stone’s brilliance coupled with Ottawa’s desire to sell off its major assets, it was no surprise when Stone was being shopped at the Trade Deadline, especially when the Senators traded both Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
After much debate and a boatload of speculation, Stone was traded to the Golden Knights with Tobias Lindberg for Erik Brannstrom, Oscar Lindberg and the Dallas Stars’ second round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
The Golden Knights were on their way to the postseason for the second consecutive year and were in need of another potent weapon to add to their armoury. Stone fitted that bill while also bringing defensive awareness and a 200-foot game to the table.
Shortly after being traded Stone agreed terms on an eight-year deal with an average annual value of $9,500,000 with the Golden Knights and he didn’t waste any time in lighting it up for his new team, tallying five goals and six assists for 11 points with a plus/minus rating of +4 in 18 regular season games down the stretch.
He was even better in the playoffs, putting the team on his back for much of the pulsating series against the San Jose Sharks with six goals and six assists for 12 points in seven games, including four power play points and one Game Winning Goal.
Stone was put on a line with Paul Stastny and Max Pacioretty for the duration of the postseason and the trio went on an absolute tear, combining for 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists) and providing a deadly one-two punch behind the dangerous and proven first-line of Reilly Smith, William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault.
As he has done throughout his career in the NHL, where he has scored at least 20 goals in each of his last five seasons, Stone is built for the big moments on the biggest stage and he proved that again in the playoffs for the Knights, rising to the occasion when his team needed him most despite the postseason ultimately ending in heartbreak for Vegas.
Stone was at the very peak of his powers in 2018-19 and he finished the year with a total of 73 points (33 goals, 40 assists) in 77 games, 20 power play points, a plus/minus rating of +17 and a CF% of 53.4 and a 50.7 oZS%.
He also finished with a win percentage of 45.2 in the faceoff circle, 71 blocked shots, 72 hits and an outstanding 122 takeaways, which led the entire NHL. Stone’s superb two-way play saw him named as a finalist for the Selke Trophy, eventually finishing second in voting with St. Louis Blues’ center Ryan O’Reilly winning the award.
Stone ended an eventful year with another dominant showing at the IIHF World Championships for Team Canada, helping his country win a Silver Medal after going on an absolute tear in the tournament, finishing with eight goals and six assists for 14 points in 10 games, enough to be crowned the MVP after producing a number of big moments for Team Canada, including potting a game-winner against Slovakia and an Overtime goal against Switzerland.
The Vegas Golden Knights are in win-now mode and in Stone they boast one of the most outstanding two-way forwards in the NHL. He excels in both zones and is known as ‘Captain Clutch’ due to his tendency to deliver in the biggest moments. The right shot is under control through 2027 and could be a strong candidate to become the first Captain in franchise history for the Golden Knights.