The Vegas Golden Knights are looking to win the Stanley Cup for the second time in four seasons. They have a fantastic core of players, including Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, and Mark Stone. They have more than enough talent to contend for the Cup this season.
Unfortunately, Vegas is going to need to go through the early part of this season without one of those core players. Stone suffered an injury against the Calgary Flames on Saturday. He fell during a shift in the third period of their blowout win at home.
Fans waited to hear news of his status over the weekend. However, news of Stone’s status was not made available until Monday. Head coach Bruce Cassidy announced that his captain is out week to week.
The Golden Knights picked up a win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night. They are now set to begin a three-game road trip on Saturday against the Florida Panthers. Cassidy has ruled Stone out for this road trip already.
“It’s an unfortunate loss,” Cassidy said Monday morning, via The Athletic’s Jesse Granger. “It’ll be a loss in every area. He touches the penalty kill, and obviously down low on the power play.”
Mark Stone Making Major Impact Early On
Candice Ward/Getty ImagesVegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone has struggled with injuries in the last few seasons.
Stone has always provided important offense when needed. And as Cassidy said, he can kill penalties and provide value in the defensive zone. Losing a player like this certainly hurts.
It especially hurts when he is contributing more offensively than he has in recent seasons. Entering play Tuesday, Stone is sitting at two goals and 13 points in six games. This is good for second in the NHL, trailing only teammate Eichel.
“This year he’s in as good of shape as he’s been since I’ve been here,” Cassidy said, via Granger. “It sucks. It really does.”
On Monday, Vegas used veteran Brandon Saad on the first line in Stone’s place. He contributed, as well, assisting on Eichel’s first-period goal to open the scoring. He ended the contest having earned Second Star of the Game honors.
It’s unknown if Vegas will rely entirely on Saad to fill the hole at the top of the lineup. Other options include Marner and Pavel Dorofeyev, for instance. For now, Vegas is simply trying to weather the storm.
Golden Knights Believe Stone Can Rebound
As mentioned, these sorts of injury issues are not new for Stone. The Golden Knights captain has dealt with these in the past. Vegas has found ways to manage. But more importantly, the captain has found a way to make an impact upon his return.
“When we do get him back, whether that’s in the short, medium or long-term, I’m sure he’ll pick up right where he left off,” Cassidy said, via Granger. “He’s done that well, so that’s the good news.”
The Golden Knights won’t have him for this upcoming road trip. But they certainly believe he can return to the ice sooner rather than later. It will be interesting to see if any further adjustments are made to Cassidy’s lineup in the meantime.
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