BREAKING: Mark Stone Out For Season, Questionable For Start Of Playoffs

The Golden Knights captain last played on February 20th in a 5-3 loss to Nashville. It was initially reported that he would be out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, but today his status was downgraded to being out for the rest of the regular season according to Darren Dreger.

If this report is true, it would confirm the 4th straight season Stone has played less than 60 regular season games. He hasn't played close to a full regular season since 2018-19 when he was traded to the Knights and played in 77 games, split between Vegas and Ottawa.

This announcement has sparked some debate online as many fans believe that this injury has been exaggerated in an effort to get around the salary cap once again. With Stone going on LTIR, it conveniently gives the team much-needed cap space just a week away from the trade deadline. Many believe Stone will return for game one of the playoffs perfectly fine.

That being said, Stone has been one of the most injury prone players in the NHL in recent years. It comes as no surprise to fans that he is out again. The timing of this injury is certainly noteworthy, but likely nothing more than a coincidence.