Mark Stone has seen his fair share of injuries during his Vegas Golden Knights tenure. He's dealt with injured spleens, bad spines, and everything in between. But the light might be at the end of the tunnel for the Golden Knights' captain, according to Nick Kypreos. The analyst spoke to Sportsnet on Monday about the Canadian Olympian's future, stating that he could face a similar fate to that of Alex Pietrangelo.
"A lot of people are already speculating about Mark Stone’s health next season and whether he’ll be able to play. It’s not out of the realm to think Stone could be looking at a similar situation to Alex Pietrangelo."Nick Kypreos on Sportsnet
Cue the conspiracy theorists because a notorious Vegas Golden Knights player could be on the LTIR chopping block. Mark Stone is ready to rile up hockey fans with a little controversy, sitting out for the sake of his health (okay, it's really Kelly McCrimmon pulling the strings here).
But in all seriousness, it makes sense. Stone has a decorated (okay, not so decorated) history of injuries during his Golden Knights tenure. In fact, he hasn't played a full 82-game season with Vegas during his residency. The closest he's gotten to that mark? 66 games in 2024-25.
It wouldn't be surprising to see McCrimmon pull off this move, either. The general manager has a decorated history of pulling off these moves, with Pietrangelo being the latest example. But it goes beyond making salary cap moves and preserving the competitive future of the Golden Knights.
What a potential season-ending LTIR move would mean for the Vegas Golden Knights—and Mark Stone
The obvious reaction here would be that the 31 other teams would cry foul over Stone being placed on season-ending LTIR. They will scream how Kelly McCrimmon is circumventing the salary cap, even though it's perfectly legal. But the implications are bigger than that.
The Golden Knights will save $9.5 million in cap space for next season with a potential Alex Pietrangelo-like move. That leaves room for McCrimmon to make another big move or two, leaving them to build the team's lineup depth. Either that, or the Golden Knights could choose to go for another big star.
Make what you want of a potential move like this. But it shows that McCrimmon is still adaptable, even when the league rules change. It's a hallmark of the top general managers to make such moves, especially when it comes to saving the roster. Sure, it might seem shrewd on the surface. But when you know the league rules, does it really matter?
Besides, the Golden Knights have one of the oldest rosters in the league. Stone is 33 years old and is facing the twilight of his career. Yeah, he's still contributing at a high level. But how much longer can he keep this up if he's still dealing with lingering injuries?
That's the big question as the Captain's future remains uncertain. Before March 26, he only had two assists after the Olympic break. That indicates that he's winding down due to a potential lingering health issue. So what better way than to plan for the future by working the typical McCrimmon salary cap magic?