During a press conference yesterday, Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy sparked an outcry by announcing that team captain Mark Stone would return for the series opener against the Winnipeg Jets.
This is big news for Team Vegas because Stone was injured on January 12 against Florida while serving as the team’s second best player.
It is worth noting that Mark Stone missed the first three months of the current season, during which he scored 38 points in 43 games. News of his return to the first playoff game sparked strong reactions and reignited the “Nikita Kucherov Rule” controversy.
In fact, the Golden Knights were able to place Stone on injured reserve for an extended period, which allowed them to acquire quality new players for less than Stone’s annual salary ($9.5 million).
Since there is no salary cap during the post-season, they can now return Stone to the lineup in time for the playoffs. It’s quite a relief that Stone will be back to full power right as soon as the playoffs begin.
Naturally, Gary Bateman received some criticism, and controversy really erupted.
It’s amazing how often we see players healthy in time for the play-offs. Like, what an amazing coincidence!
—ArponBasu (@ArponBasu) April 17, 2023
But sure https://t.co/1toMLVgSrp
—ArponBasu (@ArponBasu) April 17, 2023
Mark Stone will play for the Golden Knights tomorrow night in Game 1 against Winnipeg.
– Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) April 17, 2023
Champions of the Pacific Division and the first team in the Western Conference standings, the Vegas Golden Knights are considered favorites to win their series against the Jets.