The 2021-22 season was a rough one for Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone. The 30-year-old missed a significant chunk of the season with a nagging back injury, and his play suffered because of it.
Luckily, it sounds like a solution to his back issue could be on the horizon.
While addressing the media Monday following the firing of head coach Peter DeBoer, Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon revealed Stone is likely to get back surgery Wednesday and is expected to be available in time for training camp.
“Mark Stone has been seeing consultants and meeting with doctors, meeting through our training stuff, he’s got another meeting (Tuesday) in L.A., it appears quite likely that he’ll have back surgery on Wednesday and would be available for training camp. It would be rehabbed over that period of time,” said McCrimmon. “That’s not 100% for certain, but it’s certainly the most likely outcome at this time.”
Stone missed a total of 45 games as a result of his injury, and his absence had a clear impact on the Golden Knights as they failed to qualify for the postseason for the first time in franchise history.
Impressively, Stone still managed to play at a 66-point pace in spite of his ailment.
A healthy Stone would do wonders for the Golden Knights as they look to return to the playoffs next season. The All-Star winger has averaged nearly a point per game since arriving in Vegas, and he’s also one of the best 200-foot forwards in hockey — he’s only a year removed from being named a finalist for the Selke Trophy.
“I think it’s great news. I was hoping that that would be what the solution might look like, and it’s obviously something that our fans are interested in. I know just from talking to Mark this morning, he was at the facility earlier with (head athletic trainer Jay Mellette), I sure think he’s excited about this outcome also.”