Mark Stone won’t be back once the playoffs begin, says Renaud Lavoie

The Vegas Golden Knights are currently in the spotlight. The GM has boosted his club with Anthony Mantha, Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl in a bid to win the Stanley Cup again.

And clearly, because the club used the LTIR again with Mark Stone, there’s a lot of talk.

It’s true that, from the outside, the club captain was placed on the long-term injured list for three years before miraculously returning to action at the start of the playoffs.

This year, that’s made it possible to bring in three excellent players, including the injured Hertl.

Inevitably, more than ever, there are comments to the effect that the Knights are cheating and shouldn’t be doing what they’re doing. And even if the GM says the opposite, it doesn’t necessarily calm people down.

But Renaud Lavoie (TVA Sports) was keen to dot the i’s and cross the t’s on the issue. First, he points out that Hertl, who is not on the LTIR, should be back by the end of the regular season.

And as he reported on JiC’s show, the Knights captain is in really bad shape. The reporter was told that a return to action won’t happen as soon as the playoffs begin.

Lavoie hears a lot more about the end of the first round or the start of the second round.

But what also needs to be remembered is the fact that the Knights captain has a torn spleen and is hurting for real. So it’s not just a “simple” micro-fracture… #Throwback

The reality is that it’s magical. I’m not convinced he has a very long career ahead of him. – Renaud Lavoie on Mark Stone

Of course, you have to wonder if the Knights aren’t pushing the whole thing just a little to keep his potential return for the first game of the playoffs from looking fishy.

But on the other hand, he clearly looks bad. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been placed on the LTIR for a third year in a row by his bosses, let’s face it.

It’s just a question of how badly he’s hurting.

It’s also worth noting that all this has an air of Shea Weber about it. The former Canadiens captain managed to give it his all in the 2021 playoffs, but his career ended sooner than expected, anyway.

In bursts

– Four years ago today, the NHL took a break.

– Listen now.

– Official: there will be games in Europe next year.

– The importance of development.

– Wow.