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Vegas Golden Knights: 5 players who should be considered for Captain

By Andrew Steele-Davis

CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 12: Deryk Engelland #5 of the Vegas Golden Knights talks with teammates Shea Theodore #27 and Paul Stastny #26 in the first period against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on January 12, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 12: Deryk Engelland #5 of the Vegas Golden Knights talks with teammates Shea Theodore #27 and Paul Stastny #26 in the first period against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on January 12, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 23: Erik Karlsson #65 of the San Jose Sharks embraces with Mark Stone #61 of the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 23, 2019 in San Jose, California (Photo by Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 23: Erik Karlsson #65 of the San Jose Sharks embraces with Mark Stone #61 of the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 23, 2019 in San Jose, California (Photo by Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images) /

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.

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 23: Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) and San Jose Sharks left wing Marcus Sorensen (20) tie each other up during Game 7, Round 1 between the Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. (Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 23: Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) and San Jose Sharks left wing Marcus Sorensen (20) tie each other up during Game 7, Round 1 between the Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. (Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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.

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