NHL Insider provides troubling update on Golden Knights forward following Stanley Cup win
The Vegas Golden Knights are still riding the high of the organization's first ever Stanley Cup win, but one NHL insider had some unfortunate news to announce this week regarding Golden Knights captain Mark Stone and his playing future.
Stone was limited to just 43 regular season games in 2022-23, but played in all of the Golden Knights' 22 playoff games, racking up 11 goals and 24 points. The back issue that kept him out of action for much of the 2022-23 season over the past couple of seasons - only, this time around, Stone went to the same doctor who repaired teammate Jack Eichel's neck with an artificial disc replacement.
During his most recent edition of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman had revealed that someone from another team had reached out to him and informed him that even after Stone's surgery, he remains "seriously injured" and that the injury could prevent him from being able to play a full season for the remainder of his career.
Friedman did clarify in a subsequent post online that the Golden Knights are hopeful that Stone's most recent surgery has him healthy for the long haul. As we know, though, when it comes to chronic injuries, it's not a matter of whether the team thinks a player will be fine. The human body is resilient, but a chronic injury isn't something that a player can simply bounce back from.
