Today marks the start of a big week ahead for the Vegas Golden Knights with the 2019 NHL Entry Draft on Friday and maybe some potential trades in the pipeline.
The Vegas Golden Knights will enter the Draft armed with a treasure chest of picks, including the No.17 overall selection and picks in the second, third, fourth and fifth rounds.
And, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Vegas is also expected to be active and aggressive in trade talks as this week hots up.
Both Colin Miller and Cody Eakin could be shopped this offseason as the Golden Knights bid to clear some much-needed cap space.
Steering away from the Draft, free agency and trade talk for just a minute, however, and it could also be a momentous week for Mark Stone.
The stud right-wing will be representing the franchise at the 2019 NHL Awards in Vegas on Wednesday, 19 as a finalist for the Selke Trophy, awarded to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.
Stone enjoyed a stellar 2018-19 campaign, firstly for the Ottawa Senators before lighting it up for the Golden Knights after being dealt to Sin City at the trade deadline.
He posted five goals and six assists for 11 points in 18 regular season games for Vegas, before going on a tear in the playoffs with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in seven contests.
In total, Stone tallied 33 goals and 40 assists for 73 points in 77 regular season games in 2018-19, achieving career-highs in goals, points and power play points with 20 (six goals, 14 assists).
Not only was Stone at the peak of his powers offensively but he also thrived in the defensive zone, leading the entire NHL in takeaways with 122 and totalling 71 blocked shots and 72 hits. He also had a win percentage of 45.2 in the face-off circle.
Stone automatically made Vegas a better team in both zones and he would be a more than worthy winner of the Selke Trophy given his impressive body of work this year.
However, he faces stiff competition for the honor given that Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron and Ryan O’Reilly of the St. Louis Blues are the other finalists.
O’Reilly could well come out on top on Wednesday after emerging as a key figure in the Blues’ historic run to the Stanley Cup Final.
After tallying 28 goals and 49 assists for 77 points in the regular season, in addition to leading the NHL in face-off wins (1,086), he added a further 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in the postseason and became the first player since the legendary Wayne Gretzky in 1985 to score goals in four straight Stanley Cup Final games. Not bad company to keep at all.
O’Reilly also finished fourth in the NHL with 94 takeaways and was also fourth in shorthanded face-off wins (121), making his case for the Selke Trophy a strong one indeed.
Bergeron, meanwhile, will go down as one of the best defensive forwards to have ever graced this wonderful game and his prestigious, glory-laden career backs that up.
Nominated for the Selke Trophy for a record eighth consecutive year, Bergeron has won the award on four occasions and could add another one to his collection after leading the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final.
He finished the regular season with 79 points (32 goals, 47 assists) and finished eighth in the NHL in face-off percentage with 56.6. He was first among the Bruins in blocked shots (60) and he also put up another 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in the playoffs.
Bergeron is the heartbeat of this Boston team, a true warrior who leads by example on and off the ice night in and night out.
Although different players in both the roles they play and their varying styles, Stone now has the chance to emulate his fellow finalist and morph into the Vegas Golden Knights’ very own Patrice Bergeron.
About to enter their third season as an NHL franchise, the Knights need a cornerstone piece on which they can build a team around and rely on to drive excellence and high standards throughout the organization.
Signed through until 2027, Stone has the perfect opportunity to evolve into the leader of this franchise and be the difference maker when it comes to competing for championships.
That’s why the Vegas front office shelled out a second round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, forward Oscar Lindberg and highly-rated prospect Erik Brannstrom to the Ottawa Senators in order to acquire Stone’s services. That’s why they then moved quick to tie the 27-year-old to the franchise with an eight-year, $9.5 million contract.
They see Stone as the final piece, the jewell in the crown of this Stanley Cup contender if you like and they expect to win at least one championship during that stretch.
That commitment has already started to bring reward with Stone emerging as ‘Captain Clutch’ down the stretch of the regular season and then in the playoffs, producing big moments in key situations when the pressure was really on.
He was at it again during the recent IIHF World Championships, winning the MVP award after finishing the tournament with eight goals and six assists for 14 points in 10 games. He produced when his country needed him most, potting a last-gasp winner against Switzerland and scoring the overtime clincher against the Czech Republic.
The elite players are built to truly thrive in the big moments and Stone, like Bergeron, has that knack of coming up big for his team when the chips are down and the heat is really on.
Unlike Bergeron, however, Stone hasn’t got a Stanley Cup on his CV and he will be looking to put that right sooner rather than later.
And he has a chance to etch his name in the rich tapestry of this glorious game as early as 2019-20 when the Golden Knights will enter the year as a genuine cup contender.
Stone, having proved in a small sample what he can do in a talented team full of other potent weapons, will arguably be the main man for Vegas next year especially with William Karlsson yet to come to terms on a contract extension.
You could even go as far to say that the line of Max Pacioretty-Paul Stastny-Stone, which was so dangerous and potent in 2018-19 and combined for 22 points in just three games against the San Jose Sharks in the postseason, could take over the mantle as the Knights’ top line next season.
That would mean having the trio of Reilly Smith-Karlsson-Jonathan Marchessault, who have combined for 456 points (including playoff games) in their two years with the franchise, as the team’s second line.
Whichever way you paint it, that’s a way pretty formidable one-two punch in the NHL by anybody’s standards.
Stone is an elite scorer, a dangerous playmaker and a superb defensive forward with an excellent hockey IQ and a burning desire to succeed. They are key ingredients in the recipe for success for an elite two-way forward in the modern day NHL.
Like Bergeron, Stone now has the chance to become the heartbeat of his team and be the inspirational leader they need on and off the ice.
And, whether or not he wins the Selke Trophy on Wednesday in the city that he now calls home, Mark Stone has already taken steps to emulate his fellow finalist and become as instrumental to the Vegas Golden Knights as Patrice Bergeron is to the Boston Bruins.