3:30 PM: The Vegas Golden Knights have officially activated both Mark Stone and William Carrier off of LTIR, per CapFriendly (Twitter link). The moves bring the team back to full health just in time for the postseason.
9:45 AM: The Golden Knights are expected to activate captain Mark Stone off long-term injured reserve ahead of tonight’s Game 1 against the Stars, reports ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. He’ll likely return to the lineup to kick off the first-round series after missing two months with a Grade 3 spleen laceration.
The timing of Stone’s injury and LTIR placements over the past few seasons have drawn skepticism from nearly every fanbase in the league. A mid-February LTIR placement followed by an activation just before the first playoff game has now happened three seasons in a row, although his absences in 2022 and 2023 were due to lingering back injuries. Speaking to The Athletic’s Jesse Granger over the weekend, Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon offered his explanation/defense:
I want to just touch on a couple of things with it, because there has been a lot of speculation and a lot of insinuation about his injury. The NHL is 100 percent involved in any of these (LTIR) situations involving teams. Their chief medical director speaks to the surgeon, speaks to our medical team, speaks to our athletic therapist, has access to every document that is filed and every diagnostic test that is given. They have access to all of that information. That’s what keeps the system legitimate. They are the people that are fully involved in this. So, I don’t know if maybe the fans or the media understand the degree to which these injuries are scrutinized.
Stone sustained the laceration against the Predators on February 20. He hasn’t played since, although he’s ramped up his workload in practice over the past couple of weeks. A Grade 3 splenic injury certainly qualifies as severe but may not result in an extremely long-term absence – medical literature indicates these can be treated more conservatively than a Grade 4 or 5, the latter of which indicates a wholly ruptured/shattered spleen. McCrimmon says team doctors told him after Stone’s injury that the laceration could carry something as lengthy as a three-to-six-month timeline but could swing less if his recovery went well.
Vegas isn’t the same team without their captain. They went 13-11-2 after his injury, dropping to the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference and earning a date with conference-champion Dallas to open postseason play.
Still, placing his $9.5MM cap hit on LTIR allowed them to go big-game hunting at the trade deadline, picking up Noah Hanifin, Tomáš Hertl and Anthony Mantha with varying degrees of salary retention. Those will be significant reinforcements as Vegas attempts to be the second team this decade to win back-to-back Stanley Cups and the first eight-seed to win since the Kings in 2012.
Stone still managed to finish fourth on the team in scoring with 53 points (16 goals, 37 assists) in 56 games and second on the team in points per game behind Jack Eichel. His defensive impacts weren’t the extremely stout numbers that have earned him Selke nominations in the past, but write off the 31-year-old at your own risk. He erupted for 11 goals and 24 points in 22 postseason games last year, averaging 18:55 per game as Vegas won the Cup only six years into their existence. Line rushes over the weekend indicated that Stone is expected to play on the Knights’ second line, centered by Hertl and flanked by Chandler Stephenson on the left.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
I just did not see this coming (insert huge eye roll emoji).
But a bunch of us saw you and the rest of the chronic complainers coming from miles with your incessant whining about collectively bargained cap rules.
Cobble together a few bucks and buy a sense of humor.
dog = Wilf?
I dom’t think so because he’s crushed Wilf in comments but later they get deleted, probably for going entertaingly overboard
Of course the league is in on. Why wouldnt they be? Vegas is a giant money grab so no way the league will step in and squash it. Integrity has been lost in sports these days. So sad.
Squash what? The very idea that this makes you sad is quite amusing. Maybe hockey isn’t the sport for you.
You just know that if canadian team with a small market like Winnipeg dares to do something like that Bettman is putting an end to it immediately..he only cares about money..
I think the only one you should be blaming is cheap ownership. As you have seen, this is allowed in the current CBA, and the only teams that have been willing to use this are the owners with the will to win.
Are you new to this stuff? Bettman works for NHL ownership including the ownership of every Canadian team.
Already taking bets on next year’s phantom injury right before the deadline.
Mark Stone’s chronic back issues are well documented, The rules are the same for all 32 teams.
Yeah but some organizations operate with a higher degree of integrity
This was also a “lacerated spleen”
It’s always something with this team. They are the houston Astros of the NHL.
It’s a miracle. Mark Stone has once again risen before game 1
Salary retention is a problem also when it comes to using LTIR money. Would be interesting to see each teams’ player cap hits for the game 1s. Betting vegas is between 10-15m more than any other team. But there’s a cap in hockey lol.
With Stones money theyre just over 18million over the cap. You were close, but under
Still need to get Foley and the team ownership group to sign off on extra spending. While hockey’s revenue has grown significantly; there are still a ton of teams that would not allocate that kind of spending overage.
On March 27, Thatcher Demko was placed on LTIR. At the time, coach Rick Tocchet said, “it’s just cap related. We get some cap relief, that’s all.”
Two games before the regular season was done, Demko just so happened to be available for a couple tune up games, and then he played brilliantly in the Canucks’ game 1 win last night.
So…. where’s the outrage there? Where’s the article talking about that? Why don’t NHL fans care when the Canucks casually just admit they’re fudging the salary cap for their own purposes?
Every team plays by these rules. People get mad at one for following them.
Well if Demko was able to play in the last 2 games of the regular season, that would imply they are cap compliant. Vegas is not.
You’re kidding right? How gold are your Fremont St. glasses?
Canucks were cap compliant before the end of the regular season with Demko on the active roster.
Vegas with Stone would not have been if he returned for even one game…convenient that the cap doesn’t matter when he is ‘healthy’ (note: This continues to happen)
If Stone was on the roster for even one game before the playoffs than this meme wouldn’t exist.
I’m trusting that when the coach of a team says they’re messing with the roster for purely cap purposes, he’s telling the truth. Vancouver (who I like way more than Vegas, by the way), got ‘cap compliant’ exactly when it benefited them. Just like Vegas.
In other news: did you see on this very site that LA miraculously has no one injured for the first time all year? It’s amazing! No one is hurt! Right when they need it! What an incredible coincidence! And they used LTIR the whole time to get that done! Incredible!
Every team agreed to these cap rules. Everyone does exactly what they need to when they need to how they need to. No other team is mad at Vegas because every other team does this. And fans don’t care when other teams do things either – y’all just hate Vegas.
When ya roll out a 4th liners and someone uses it as an excuse to balance rolling in a 1st liner. Extreme eye roll.
^ this doesn’t make sense.
Canucks were cap compliant before playoffs started. They were cap compliant with or without Demko in LTIR
Vegas, if Stone returned before playoffs, was not. Hence they afforded Hanafin, Hertle, and Mantha at the trade deadline.
Now Vegas is 18million over the cap in game 1 of the playoffs.
You have no clue what you’re even talking about. The Kings were cap complaint all year and that’s why they couldn’t make moves at the trade deadline. Almost all their players returned before the end of the season. The Vegas situation isn’t even comparable. And it’s the third year in a row of this nonsense. It’s fishy to all but one fanbase, LOL.
The bottom line: there is no cap in playoffs. We can go back and forth with whether other examples are analogous, but there’s no ‘cap compliance’ or ‘over the cap’ in the playoffs. And nothing Vegas has done is against any rule.
I hope the Stars sweep Vegas. But if Vegas advances, it’s not because they’re cheaters or any ‘situation’ is fishy. It’s because they beat them on the ice, with a team assembled according to the rules that all 32 teams agreed to.
LA was cap compliant and couldn’t make any trades because their guys weren’t slated to be injured the rest of the season, you dont know what you’re talking about, yes we know the rules, there’s nothing done about exploiting the rules, it’s just frowned upon and has rigged the playoffs 3 times in 8 years, im a Blackhawks fan and I thought Anaheim was robbed Hawks were $6M over in 2015, 2021 you can say the Islanders were robbed, as like Anaheim lost in 7 as well, Dallas was robbed last year and could definitely say Florida, LTIR wasn’t meant for creating an All Star lineup for game 1 of the playoffs and not for some reason be available for game 82, the biggest reason for the anger of this is that Stone was most likely ready before the post season and was recovered from his injury which shouldn’t be qualified as LTIR eligible anymore or injured anymore, 3 years in a row isn’t a coincidence it’s exploitation, a rule change is necessary for future seasons and theres no reason for there not to be a salary cap for the post season
Let put it to you this way, If someone finds an exploit in a game and uses it against other players what’s that called? Good game play? I know this predates Vegas, but 18 million over the cap is not what was intended when the league made this exception. It’s cheating the cap.
What amount over the cap was intended?
What wasn’t intended was for the same guy to heal miraculously in time for Game 1 of the playoffs back-to-back years.
Well put @NSco1996.
“But all teams can do this!” – doghockey
Correct. You are a bit late to the party but it’s good to see you finally catching on.
Doghockey please provide four teams that are over the Salary Cap in game 1 of the playoffs.
because you say all teams do this so just give a few examples.
Can’t pick Vegas. We already know that one.
No one is over or under the cap in the playoffs. The cap doesn’t exist.
Prob Carolina – didn’t they get Svech back day 1? No doubt TBL too – have no reason to judge that other than circumvention every year for like 6 years running. They copied CHI, VGK copied them. No surprises they’ve got all the cups lately between them.
Dog, Drew is correct, there is no salary cap in the playoffs, therefore there are no teams that are over the salary cap in game 1’of the playoffs, including Vegas.
As for the point you are trying to make, Tampa has used this strategy before, as did the Hawks back in the 2014-15 season to stash Kane (although that was a different CBA).
Vegas used this now multiple times, it’s exploitation and not a coincidence on Stone always being ready for game 1 and not game 82 3 years in a row, LTIR isn’t meant for players to be held on it past the point of being able to play
Svech has been back for months. Their lineup is the same as all season, other than missing Fast who got injured in game 82.
Never once have I stated that all teams do this. All teams have the opportunity to do so. It has been collectively bargained.
Death, taxes, and Mark Stone being activated off LTIR for game 1 of the playoffs
Don’t forget you and your clan tossing tantrums over it!
Looks like doghockey is the new wilfpaiment around here…
All I’ve done is state that this LTIR business is not breaking any rules and all teams have an equal opportunity to use it. Lots of you don’t like it and it may get changed but at this point it has been collectively bargained. That is reality.
You are correct doghockey. There is no rule preventing this.
However, there is also no rule allowing it. It is 100% abuse of a flawed system. If you argue that then you are flat wrong. It’s sad that the cba is allowing this shit but there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
All I’m asking is that you incessant vegas apologists just admit that it’s ridiculous. If my camp can realize that the rules have not been broken, then you people should be able to admit that it’s nonsense and actively ruining the game of hockey.
Not a Vegas fan at all. MN born, living in CA. North Stars fan. Just been pointing out that Vegas is doing nothing against a collectively bargained agreement. “No rule allowing it”? What? I know a bunch of you don’t like it but it is part of the CBA so there is a rule allowing it. I just don’t get the incessant complaining about something that is breaking no rules. As much as I enjoy watching a bunch of the locals being miserable over the salary cap, I am having more fun watching the game – great start to the playoff season.
there are supposed to be rules, but the NHL is ignoring its enforcement responsibility. Kucherov, Stone, Stone. Somehow these teams get their best player healthy just in the nick of time for Game 1? what a joke
What should the NHL be enforcing?
LTIR rules. Verifying the guy is hurt.
How do you know that the NHL did not check on the guy?
not really a coincidence when its happened 3 playoff runs in a row for the same player, clear abuse of what LTIR is meant for, ig hes always too “hurt” to play game 82 but ok for game 1 of the playoffs, reminds me of Soccer players, they throw themselves on the ground agonizing in pain from a zero contact sport but once they see the yellow or red card to the opposing player they immediately hop up and are miraculously ok, almost like Stone just hopped up out of a wheelchair and can now miraculously play without a no contact practice sweater even, or Jesus just rose again and put his hand on his shoulder and told him that he can walk
A bunch of you seem to be really overthinking this stuff. Why not just enjoy the hockey instead of letting it make you miserable?
I will miss Carrier in the playoffs, He’s nasty and a joy to watch!
I have no doubt that Stone was injured! The doubt is the amount of time he has missed the last 3 years and miraculously is 100% healthy for game 1 of the playoffs! I give Vegas and Tampa Bay credit for being smart enough to stretch the rules as far as possible and the Union won’t complain as it allows teams to go over the salary cap!
McCrimmon’s defence that everything is documented doesn’t cut the mustard for me. Of course everything is documented – but are the documents legitimate? I’m sure team doctors have incentive to make up whatever timeline helps the team. There are people in this world on worker’s comp who were never injured. This is just reality. And those are people whose doctors have no incentive to do it. Sometimes they make a mistake. Sometimes they write a paper no questions asked. We know it happens in the wild, so why wouldn’t it happen when incentive is there for it?
Nothing they’re doing is against the rules. They’re taking advantage of a loophole that I’m sure other owners are going to try to close during the next round of negotiations. In a cap era, there will still be an advantage in favour of teams who spend above the cap– the true contenders in the league spend every penny. In the pre-cap era, what they spend now on lawyers, analytics, training staff, equipment, coaching, facilities, etc, would just be spent on another free agent.
It is against the rules because clearly Stone is faking.
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, Bettman can be fooled again
If he is clearly faking, you must be able to easily provide some evidence. Looking forward to seeing it.
Complete fraud of a team. vegas, what a bunch of phonies
Don’t forget two-time Cup finalist and 2023 Cup champ!
13 teams will be penalized for being over the cap, Oddly enough, Lost Wages is not one of those teams. McCrimmon does his homework better than any other GM apparently. Good for him.
I mean a lot of players play thru things they normally wouldn’t in the playoffs so obviously if the playoffs didn’t start today he wouldn’t likely play today. Also it clearly isn’t ideal to have some jump in at playoff time after having 2 months off. Until they make a rule I have no issue with it, maybe a player has to play at least 1 game and 10 minutes in the 15 games prior to the playoffs, be it a AHL or NHL game