The Vegas Golden Knights’ 2021-22 season was a frustrating one for all, and a large part of their struggles came because of the fact that their captain, Mark Stone, was limited to just 37 games on the season due to a back injury.
Mark Stone struggled with his back ailment from the get go of the 2021-22 campaign, though he tried to play through it as best he could. Eventually, he couldn’t battle through the pain any longer, and was placed on long-term injured reserve in mid-February.
Late in the season, as the Golden Knights tried to push for the playoffs, he was able to make his return to the lineup. Unfortunately, it was clear that despite his return he was nowhere near 100%, as he struggled immensely with just a goal and two points over his final nine games of the season.
Due to the fact things haven’t seemed to progress much for Stone, the 29-year-old is considering a number of different options to ensure he’s ready for the 2022-23 season, with surgery being one of them.
“I’m still researching everything,” Stone said. “I don’t want just one guy to give his opinion, I want to talk to five, six guys and see where we go from here. And not just doctors, I want to talk to players who have been through similar situations and hear their story and see where I can go from here. I don’t want to just make a rash decision and do a procedure that’s not going to help. I want to make sure I’m doing something that’s going to benefit me, not just for next year but for the five years I have left on my contract and hopefully sign a couple more after that.”
There certainly is some concern here moving forward, as back injuries can often be tough to get a read on. The positive sign is that Mark Stone is a very driven individual, and based on his comments he is considering many different options to ensure his back injury is addressed and he’s ready to go next season. The Golden Knights will certainly hope that’s the case, as he is one of the game’s elite two-way forwards when at the top of his game.
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