Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Golden Knights captain Stone out indefinitely after 2nd back surgery

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Steve Marcus

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) skates against the Winnipeg Jets during the third period of an NHL hockey game at T-Mobile Arena Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022.

Golden Knights captain Mark Stone is out indefinitely after undergoing back surgery for the second time in less than a year, the team announced today.

The injury occurred in Vegas' Jan. 12 game against the Florida Panthers. Stone began rehab work the next day, but following a setback, the Golden Knights felt surgery was the proper course of action, the team said in a statement.

The procedure was performed by Dr. Chad Prusmack in Denver. Stone is expected to make a full recovery.

This is Stone's second back surgery in less than a year. He had a lumbar discectomy in May to fix an ongoing back ailment that sidelined him for the majority of last season. Stone made a full recovery and played all 43 games this season prior to the Florida game.

Stone played just 3:57 before leaving the game. He was labeled as week-to-week with an upper-body injury at the time.

This opens up some lingering questions for the Golden Knights going forward.

First, even though he's expected to fully recover, there's the fact that Stone just had his second back procedure in just over eight months. There will be questions surrounding Stone's long-term health going forward.

Second, more short-term, is the upcoming trade deadline March 3. Stone's cap hit of $9.5 million is expected to go on long-term injured reserve, which will give the Golden Knights plenty of room to potentially make a splash in 30 days.

What, if anything, that will be, exactly, will be answered in due time. What is known is the Golden Knights lost seven of their next eight games without Stone in the lineup before entering the All-Star break. Vegas resumes play Tuesday in Nashville against the Predators now knowing its captain will be out for an extended period of time.

Stone had 39 points in 43 games and was on pace for the best offensive season of his career before the injury.

Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.