Mark Stone – The Popular One
Mark Stone has emerged as many Vegas fans’ preferred choice to become the first Captain of the Golden Knights since his arrival at the Trade Deadline.
Not only is he an elite two-way forward in the NHL, but Stone is also considered to be one of hockey’s good guys and he is a hugely popular figure in the locker room and among coaching staff and front office executives.
Also, the 27-year-old has history when it comes to being looked at as a leader having been an Alternate Captain for two of his eight years for the Ottawa Senators, including two of the most controversial and crisis-ridden two years in franchise history.
Stone was the main figure who tried to hold a shattered and fragmented dressing room together in both 2017-18 and for the first-half of 2018-19, a group of players that were ravaged by a string of controversies and questionable decision making from front office executives.
That didn’t go unnoticed by other players and notable figures in hockey, who all took stock of Stone’s leadership abilities and his ability to get the best out of his team-mates in the most trying of circumstances.
Also an Alternate Captain for Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Championships, where Canada won a Silver Medal, Stone has quickly become another pillar of what is a strong locker room foundation in Vegas.
He wowed fans with his prowess on the ice, finishing the year with 33 goals and 40 assists for 73 points (for Ottawa and Vegas combined) and he was also a Selke Trophy finalist after leading the entire NHL in takeaways with 122. Stone also recorded 12 points (six goals, six assists) in seven postseason contests for the Golden Knights.
Signed through until 2027 with an eight-year, $76,000,000 contract, Stone has already established himself as one of the faces of the franchise for Vegas and he appears to have all the tools needed to become a respected Captain of an NHL team.