Mark Stone is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season. He's a $9.5 million cap hit and has a full no-move clause. It would be nice to get him off the books and get some younger talent, right? After all, Stone has been a lightning rod for injuries and his favorite spot, LTIR.
Well...
David Pagnotta appeared on DFO Rundown and talked about Stone's said UFA status for 2027. It appears that the Captain loves Las Vegas more than anything and the Golden Knights will talk with him soon.
"They're gonna get to talks with Mark Stone...they've kind of put that on the backburner for the time being; he loves it out in Vegas and would like to continue."David Pagnotta on DFO Rundown
Stone has been one of the most productive Golden Knights during his eight-year Vegas residency. In fact, last season was arguably the most productive campaign for the Captain with a career-high 6.6 offensive point shares and a career-high 2.5 defensive point shares.
Yes, the injuries have been a massive problem for the Canadian Olympian during said Vegas residency. But fans can't deny that the Golden Knights thrive with him around. Vegas is 164-106-31 all-time without the Captain, compared to being 237-118-45 all-time with Stone in the lineup.
The Vegas Golden Knights must get a reasonable deal from Stone to keep him around
When talking about bringing back a beloved Golden Knight, one must look at Reilly Smith after he was traded. We're not talking about now and how he's unlikely to come back. We're talking about when he was acquired from the New York Rangers and extended the year after.
Smith signed a one-year deal worth $2 million for 2025-26 that had a no-trade clause, which was a far cry from his $5 million salary in his earlier days. Fans know how loyal the Original Misfit is to the Golden Knights community, which should bode well for a Stone extension.
That's a similar situation that Stone is in with the Golden Knights. He's beloved by the community and he's become one of the team's biggest icons. Considering that he's still productive at his age, that would be a no-brainer for an extension.
Will his price tag drop to Smith's level of $2 million? Not likely. Don't bet on Stone taking that much of a hometown discount. After all, his production has been better than Smith's in the points department (Stone had 396 points with the Golden Knights, while Smith had 323 in the same eight-year span).
Still, it'd be nice to see Stone take a reduced salary to stick around. He's shown serious commitment to the Golden Knights and the city of Las Vegas. He's also not getting any younger and fans won't forget the injury bug. Still, don't be surprised if Stone stays around longer.
Add us as a preferred source on Google