Vegas Golden Knights: Four players who need to step up in Mark Stone’s absence

Injuries are part and parcel of life in the NHL and the Vegas Golden Knights are having to adjust to life without one of their superstars.

After picking up a mysterious ailment in the shutout over the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 26, Mark Stone has been out of the action for the Vegas Golden Knights with a lower-body injury listed as the official cause for concern.

Currently rated as week-to-week, Vegas Head Coach Peter DeBoer is holding out hope that his elite forward is back before the end of the regular season.

Without knowing the true extent of the injury it is hard to know whether that timescale is realistic or not, but everyone connected with the Golden Knights will be hoping that it isn’t too serious or that it doesn’t linger.

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After all, Stone is one of the best two-way forwards in the entire National Hockey League and he has carved out another stellar year.

Through 65 games this season, Stone has recorded 21 goals and 42 assists for 63 points with a plus/minus rating of +15 and an impressive Corsi of 58.0.

Furthermore, the wing has averaged 19:25 minutes of total ice time per game while amassing 51 blocked shots, 56 hits and 78 takeaways.

Stone is second on the Golden Knights in points and his lethal mix of a high hockey IQ coupled with elite vision puts him in the upper echelons of the best playmakers in the NHL.

As a result, Vegas will be praying that Stone is back sooner rather than later but, on the flip side, they would be silly to rush their star forward back and risk making the injury worse.

After all, Stone will be imperative to the Golden Knights’ hopes of embarking on a deep postseason run and they can’t risk losing him for a prolonged chunk of time by rushing the process.

Therefore, other players will need to step up to the plate and fill the sizeable void left by Mark Stone, and we’ve picked out four forwards in particular who will have the opportunity to take on a bigger role…

1. Max Pacioretty

This is both an obvious and strange one given that Max Pacioretty has been absolutely lights out for the Vegas Golden Knights all year.

But, with Mark Stone now week-to-week, the onus is on Pacioretty more than ever to keep on delivering the goods for the Golden Knights.

Through 68 games this year, the forward leads the team in points with 65 (31 goals, 34 assists), with 18 of those points coming on the power play.

Pacioretty has now recorded six 30-goal seasons in his career while he is just three points away from setting a new career-high in that category, which would surpass the 67 plateau he has achieved twice.

All in all, it has been a stellar season for Pacioretty and he has been playing arguably some of the best hockey of his career.

Able to come up clutch in key moments, the veteran also brings a plethora of leadership and experience to the table.

And, with Stone out of the lineup for the foreseeable, Pacioretty must continue to come up big in the key moments while driving play from a restructured second line.

With a two-point night against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, Max Pacioretty is already keeping up his end of the bargain and if he can continue to produce at this current rate then that should soften the blow of not having Mark Stone in the lineup.

2. William Karlsson

This has been an up-and-down year for William Karlsson who recently broke a 21-game drought without a goal.

He did it in style by recording a hat-trick against the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 23, and the forward now has five goals and seven points in his last five outings.

Karlsson has 15 goals and 29 assists for 44 points on the year, fifth on the Golden Knights, with just seven points coming on the power play.

Granted, the 27-year-old has more than one string to his bow and he does boast a 51.7 win percentage in the faceoff circle to go along with 38 blocked shots, 37 hits and 53 takeaways.

However, in saying that, Karlsson will need to up his level of production down the stretch with Mark Stone out of the lineup.

Playing on a line with Max Pacioretty and Nicolas Roy, a second line that has meshed together well, Karlsson is starting to heat up and he’s timed it to perfection.

After all, we’ve witnessed Karlsson pile up monster numbers and if he can go on an absolute tear now, that should help to fill the void left by Stone.

And, after recording the 100th goal of his NHL career on Tuesday night, William Karlsson has the chance to really step up and create more history for the Vegas Golden Knights.

3. Nicolas Roy

I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I would be writing about Nicolas Roy being a key piece on this roster when he was acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights as part of the Erik Haula trade back in the off-season.

However, this is hockey and this is the NHL and stranger things have happened, but Roy deserves credit for how he has taken advantage of his opportunity to impress in the NHL.

Used as a bottom six forward for much of the year, Roy has really elevated his game in his rookie year and has been rewarded by being given a much bigger role by Head Coach Peter DeBoer.

And that is why we have included Roy on this list.

Because, placed on a second line with Max Pacioretty and William Karlsson, Roy has begun to show flashes of his tantalizing upside when it comes to his play in the offensive zone.

In his last two outings the 23-year-old has proven that he can really help with the possession game and his sturdy frame coupled with his high hockey IQ ensures that the forward can hang onto the puck.

Not only can Roy keep hold of the puck but he can also make things happen, as seen on Tuesday when the rookie won the puck back in his own zone, before feeding a perfect feed to Karlsson who one-timed a shot past Mackenzie Blackwood in the New Jersey goal.

Blessed with silky skating ability and some skilful hands, Roy is starting to scratch the surface of his potential and he has the chance to really show the NHL what he’s all about while playing in a bigger role with Mark Stone out of the lineup.

After all, injuries result in opportunity for others and Nicolas Roy can now audition for a bigger role with the Golden Knights next year by helping to fill the void left by Stone this season.