The Vegas Golden Knights are getting a mixed bag of news when it comes to injury updates for their players. Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon says Mark Stone is out for the year, while newcomer Tomas Hertl is expected to return this season to the team, per Sports Net Canada.
Stone has a lacerated spleen, and won’t see the ice again for the season. There doesn’t seem to be a timetable on when the forward can play again for Vegas. He also missed time last season for the team as it made its run to the Stanley Cup Final.
“I don’t know how much more time that he’ll miss beyond that,” McCrimmon said, per NHL.com. “It’s really an unknown for us. These are different type of injuries than what hockey players normally sustain. It’s impossible to know what the timeline is.”
Stone got hurt in a 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on February 20 and had been week to week, per NHL.com. Stone’s absence is a big loss, as the forward had 53 points on the year for the Golden Knights. He led the team in assists.
The good news is that the Golden Knights are expected to get Hertl back from injury. The team nabbed Hertl from the San Jose Sharks at the NHL trade deadline, and is hoping that the center can continue to rack up points for the team. Hertl has 34 points on the year, including 15 goals.
The center has battled a knee injury in recent weeks, but the good news for Nashville is that he could be soon ready to go. The team will need Hertl to make a run this year in the Western Conference playoffs.
The Golden Knights next play the Detroit Red Wings Saturday, at 10:00 Eastern.
More must-reads: