Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone leaves game with upper body injury

Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone exited Thursday night’s game against the Florida Panthers with an upper-body injury. No other information was provided.

Stone left the first period around the 11-minute mark; he logged 3:57 of ice time and did not return to the Golden Knights bench. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game during the second period according to the Golden Knights broadcast team. Stone has registered 38 points (17G, 21A) in 42 games with a plus-minus rating of +11. He possesses an average of 19:45 of ice time per game and has recorded three goals and nine powerplay points on the year. The injury is concerning due to Stone’s recent injury history. He was limited to just 37 games last season and missed over 40 with a significant back injury that required him to undergo back surgery in mid-May. He registered 30 points (9G, 21A) in 37 games.

During his five seasons with the Golden Knights; he has accumulated 73 goals and 203 points in 217 games. Stone was acquired in a deal with the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Oscar Lindberg, Erik Brannstrom and a 2020 second-round pick that became Egor Sokolov. Stone played seven seasons and 366 games with the organization that drafted him in the sixth round of the 2010 NHL Draft. In March 2019 Stone signed a monstrous eight-year, $75,000,000 contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $9,500,000, the contract runs through 2026-27. 

The Golden Knights are currently tied for first in the tight race Pacific Division with the Los Angeles Kings. They pose a record of 27-13-2 through the first half of the regular season. The Golden Knights’ next game is Saturday versus Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.