When you think of franchise cornerstones for the Vegas Golden Knights, who do you think of? Some people talk about Jack Eichel and how his 48 points have led the Golden Knights to the top of the NHL (53 points). Some will bring up Marc-Andre Fleury and how dominant he was in net. Some even say Jonathan Marchessault for winning a Conn Smythe trophy.
However, one name should come to mind for the Golden Knights. His name? Mark Stone and he's the team captain. The Winnipeg native was acquired in 2019 from the Ottawa Senators, where Vegas sent names like Erik Brannstrom to the struggling franchise. Let's just say that the rest is history with the Captain.
Stone won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023, scoring 11 goals and 13 assists that postseason. He's also picking where he left off from years prior, scoring eight goals and 30 points in 22 games. In fact, he's on pace for 50 assists, which would be a career-high.
But let's examine his time with the Golden Knights further. After all, he's been a franchise corner-"stone" since joining the team in 2019. When was his best season with the Golden Knights? How did his stats compare to the other seasons, where he was a focal point of the offense? It's time to learn more about the Captain and his excellent play.
When was Mark Stone's best season with the Vegas Golden Knights?
When it comes to the best campaign career-wise, Mark Stone had some memorable seasons. Fans will point at his days with the Ottawa Senators, where he produced solid numbers. For example, the 32-year-old was great in 2014-15, scoring a career-high 26 goals and adding 38 assists (80 games). There's also his 2017-18 season, where he scored 20 goals and 42 assists (58 games).
But what about his time with the Golden Knights? When was the Winnipeg native at the top of his game? Well, dear reader, two seasons come to mind for Stone. Both came in his earlier years with the Golden Knights, when he got his feet wet in Las Vegas.
First is the COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 season, where he scored 21 goals and 42 assists in 65 games. Here, his Corsi was 58% and his Fenwick was 59%, according to MoneyPuck. Good numbers like these deserve some consideration for the Selke Trophy, no?
Then, there's the 2020-21 season in the bubble. While the advanced stats (57% Corsi and 59% Fenwick) are slightly less impressive than the season prior, Stone had 10 fewer games to work with. The Captain scored 21 goals and 40 assists that season, leading the Golden Knights to a semifinal appearance.
Which season was better for Stone?
When you tie your career-high in assists, that deserves plenty of recognition from the fanbase. Mark Stone was a quintessential part of the Vegas Golden Knights attack, injecting emotion and energy into the team. This was also before Jack Eichel was on the team, living a miserable life with the Buffalo Sabres.
However, the bubble year saw Stone achieve similar stats in a shorter period. That can't be discounted, either. A combination of the 32-year-old breaking out and Marc-Andre Fleury winning the Vezina Trophy led the Golden Knights to great things, getting them to a semifinal matchup with the Montreal Canadiens.
Therefore, the nod goes to the bubble season, where Stone scored 21 goals and 40 assists in 2021. One can say that the 2019-20 season deserves serious consideration during his Golden Knights tenure for the better advanced numbers, Corsi and Fenwick-wise. However, Stone did score more points per 60 minutes (3.49 in 2020-21 compared to three in 2019-20) and more assists per 60 minutes (2.29 in 2020-21 compared to two in 2019-20) in the COVID-19 bubble.
But Stone has a chance to have a better season in 2024-25 than both years. He's on pace for 50 assists, which would be a career-high. He also has Jack Eichel on his line, elevating nearly every teammate around him. That could mean another Stanley Cup and more iconic moments for the expressive Stone.