After Mark Stone was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights just minutes before the February 25th trade deadline, he admitted to have already worked out an extension with the team. That extension was to be for eight years and $76MM, but couldn’t be officially filed until March 1st because of the “tagging” issue of having more than the salary cap ceiling already committed to the next season. Then March 1st came and went with no extension, leading some to wonder if something had occurred to stop the deal from coming together.
Not to worry Golden Knights fans, as Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that the only reason the deal isn’t done was a personal issue that kept GM George McPhee out of town. Lavoie notes that McPhee wanted to be there in person, and that the deal will be filed in the next few days.
Stone hasn’t been able to score much for the Golden Knights so far, recording just one assist in his four games for the club, but that hasn’t stopped him from making an impact. The former Ottawa Senators forward has attempted 23 shots so far, getting 13 of them on net. That kind of volume is sure to garner some results in the near future, even if Stone is playing fewer minutes than he has the last few seasons. Vegas takes on the Calgary Flames tonight in a battle of Western Conference titans, a matchup that would be a perfect time for Stone to break out and tally his first goal as a Golden Knight.