Over the years, the Vegas Golden Knights have used several loopholes to get around the NHL's Long Term Injury Reserve rules, something that GM Kelly McCrimmon has stood up for after the past two years with Mark Stone heading to LTIR. While that has been an issue, so has Stone's health, as the team captain has not played in 60 or more games since the 2019/20 season.
Now, those issues appear to be lingering once more, as the team have revealed that after scratching Stone for their eventual OT loss to the Seattle Kraken, the captain will be day-to-day with his latest injury.
According to speculation from Vince Sapienza, it appears as though Stone may have aggravated something while scoring an empty net goal against the Edmonton Oilers, and given his history, any type of injury isn't one to be taken lightly by the team.
Unsurprisingly, fans of opposing teams were very skeptical of the announcement from the team, as many believe it could lead to yet another stint on Injured Reserve that could allow this team to use their cap space to add more pieces to their team. It's a little too early for that however, as day-to-day suggests that Stone could be back in the very near future, and if this team is to make an impact this year, they'll need him healthy.
In 13 games this season, Stone has tallied 6 goals and 21 points, showing that when healthy, he can be one of the best players in the NHL, so if possible, both he and the team will be looking to avoid another LTIR stint.
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Will the Vegas Golden Knights get back to the Stanley Cup Finals this season? | ||
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