Today General Manager Kelly McCrimmon made two important announcements which impact the Vegas Golden Knights. The first is that Jack Eichel will make his long awaited debut on Wednesday, and the second is that Mark Stone is headed to long-term injured reserve.
GM Kelly McCrimmon has announced that Mark Stone will be going on LTIR effective today.
McCrimmon also announced that Jack Eichel will make his Golden Knights debut Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche. #VegasBorn
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 14, 2022
Stone’s assignment to long-term injured reserve opens up the cap space needed for Eichel to enter the lineup, and the Golden Knights will need to find a way to open up additional space if and when Stone returns during the regular season.
Vegas is in a prime position to make the playoffs, but the loss of Stone is a significant one even with Eichel taking his spot on the roster. Stone played in the season opener for the Golden Knights, and skated 9:52 in the second game of the season before missing 12 games in a row.
At the time of his injury it was deemed he wouldn’t need surgery, and he’d remain week-to-week. Stone returned on November 11 vs. the Vancouver Canucks, and remained in the lineup for 16 games before being sidelined vs. the New York Islanders.
He skated 7:47 on December 21 vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning, and missed the next four games played. Stone returned for 4 games, and then missed two because of COVID. He returned vs. the Carolina Hurricanes on January 25, and had played every game since until missing February 9th’s contest vs. the Calgary Flames. Overall Stone has appeared in 28 games where he’s posted a line of 8-20-28 while averaging 18:09 a game.
In other news, the Golden Knights recalled goaltender Logan Thompson earlier today before practice, and now we know the reason why.
Golden Knights have recalled Logan Thompson an hour ahead of today’s practice.
— Danny Webster (@DannyWebster21) February 14, 2022
Robin Lehner is going to miss some time with an upper-body injury.
Robin Lehner is out with an upper-body injury, according to Kelly McCrimmon.
— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) February 14, 2022
Lehner has appeared in 34 games this season, and missed six games between late December and early January with a lower-body injury.