Vegas Golden Knights’ Mark Stone out indefinitely following successful back surgery

The Vegas Golden Knights announced Wednesday that captain Mark Stone underwent successful back surgery on Jan. 31. He will be held out of the lineup indefinitely but is expected to make a full recovery.

Stone suffered the upper-body injury back on January 12th in a 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers. Stone left the game during the first period; he logged 3:57 of ice time. Upon further evaluation, it was determined that due to a setback, surgery was the best course of action. The surgery was completed by Dr. Chad Prusmack in Denver, Colorado at the Rocky Mountain Spine Clinic. 

Stone has registered 38 points (17G, 21A) in 43 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 30-year-old was limited to just 37 games during the 2021-22 and missed over 40 with a significant back injury that required him to undergo previous back surgery in mid-May 2022. 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. In March 2019, Stone signed a monstrous eight-year, $75,000,000 contract; with an average annual value (AAV) of $9,500,000. 

The Golden Knights currently sit third in a tight race for the Pacific Division; they own a record of 29-18-4 for 62 points. They sit one point behind the Seattle Kraken and Los Angeles Kings who are all battling for the top of the Pacific. The Golden Knights will return from their bye-week and All-Star Break on February 7th, where they take on Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi and the Nashville Predators.