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Mark Stone Considered ‘Week-to-Week’ With Upper-Body Injury

mark stone
Jan 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) warms up before a game against the Calgary Flames at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden Knights are expecting to be without their captain, Mark Stone, for an extended period with an upper-body injury.

When one door opens, another one closes.

For Vegas, that means getting Shea Theodore back from a 35-game absence, but watching Stone exit and never return — both of which happened in their disappointing 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Feb. 20.

To make matters worse, Brett Howden also suffered an injury and has since been placed on injured reserve.

Stone’s exit came late in the second period, but it’s unclear what exactly happened. He collided with Yakov Trenin with 1:22 left in the period and managed to finish the shift, but he wasn’t out there in the third period.

With the Golden Knights down 4-1 at the time, him not returning was a clear sign that something was wrong.

On Feb. 22, head coach Bruce Cassidy provided an update on Stone’s status, but turned his focus to the team’s upcoming five-game road trip.

“I don’t have an idea on his return date,” he said. “The medical team will update us as we go along. We’re going to miss him, obviously, but we’ve got to focus on the task at hand.”

The team is considering him ‘week-to-week’ with an upper-body injury, but stopped short of listing the actual injury.

According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, Stone allegedly suffered a lacerated spleen against the Predators.

“Sounds like #VGK Mark Stone is dealing with a lacerated spleen,” Seravalli wrote on X. Timeline is tough to pin down with an injury of that nature, but it’s obviously a significant one.”

How Can Vegas Replace Mark Stone?

The short answer — they can’t.

Obviously, the Golden Knights are going to make a move to fill the roster spot, but it doesn’t matter who they bring in — no one will replace what Stone means to this team.

He is the captain, after all. He also has 16 goals, 37 assists (12 more than any other VGK player) and 53 points (seven more than any other VGK player) in 55 games played this season.

That level of production is hard to find.

The good news is the trade deadline isn’t until March 8. That gives Vegas nearly two weeks to bolster their roster for the playoffs — something they were already planning on doing.

And let’s not forget — Vegas has a history of finding talent at the deadline.

Just look at Stone — he was a deadline-day addition in 2019.

The Golden Knights traded Erik Brannstrom, Oscar Lindberg and a 2020 second-round pick to the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 25, 2019.

Stone went on to sign an 8-year, $76 million contract with Vegas, eventually became the team captain and led them to a Stanley Cup last season.

Now, Vegas needs to work its deadline magic yet again.

What Options Do the Golden Knights Have?

They have plenty of options, but expect them to focus on the wing. They already needed help at that position with William Carrier and Pavel Dorofeyev injured, but the Stone situation magnifies that need.

Jake Guentzel is an intriguing name, but he’s injured. Reilly Smith could make a return, but he only has 23 points in 48 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins this season.

Other names to keep an eye on include Pavel Buchnevich, Vladimir Tarasenko, Mikael Granlund, Jordan Eberle, Anthony Mantha, and Anthony Duclair.

With Vegas losing four of their past five games, I wouldn’t be surprised if they make a move at some point during this five-game road trip that begins on Saturday (Feb. 24) against the Senators.

Of course, time will tell.

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