Folks continue to underrate Mark Stone.
NHL Network is steadily revealing its list of the top 50 players in the NHL. On Monday, they unveiled players No. 50 through 31, and, comically, the Vegas Golden Knights forward was ranked No. 35 on the list.
As a reminder, Stone collected 33 goals and 73 points in 77 games between the Golden Knights and Ottawa Senators last season. Not only did he lead every single player in the NHL (!) with 122 takeaways in 2018-19, but he was also named a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, given to the forward “who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.” For the 15th year in a row, though, the Selke was given to a center (Ryan O’Reilly) — Stone is a winger.
Stone’s no one-year wonder, either. In his 2017-18 campaign with the Senators, he averaged over a point per game and tied with defenseman Erik Karlsson for the team lead in points (62) despite playing in 13 fewer games.
Stone doesn’t necessarily play the “flashiest” game, so perhaps that’s why he is so routinely underrated by pundits.
Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury also appears on the list at No. 45. Last month, NHL Network ranked Fleury as the No. 6 best goaltender in the league, which, for a 34-year-old, isn’t too shabby.
What say you? Should Stone be ranked high on NHL Network’s list?
Is Mark Stone the 35th-best player in the NHL?
| Too high | 17 |
| Too low | 192 |
| Just right | 24 |