The Knights are up to their tricks again and the NHL must get involved

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David St-Jean
April 12, 2024 (4:09 PM)

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Last year, the Vegas Golden Knights significantly exceeded the salary cap during the playoffs, partly due to the return of Mark Stone.

Indeed, the captain miraculously came back in full form for the first game of the postseason, raising serious questions.

We give them the benefit of the doubt, but a second consecutive year is too much.

Mark Stone is once again on the verge of returning to play, as he has been given the green light by doctors to start practicing with his teammates.

"Mark Stone is available to practice with his teammates, one week before the start of the playoffs." - Patrick Friolet, RDS

So, this would be the second year in a row that he has missed several months of action before magically returning just before the playoffs.

It is practically a joke, as the Golden Knights took advantage of the situation to make solid acquisitions, such as Anthony Mantha, Noah Hanifin, and Tomas Hertl, among others.

"Huge eye roll here. I've reported all along that the lacerated spleen is a legitimate, serious injury. There's been no shenanigans.

But man, Stone coming back to practice for second year in a row one week before playoffs is some seriously fortuitous timing." - Frank Seravalli

The NHL really needs to address this problem because it is becoming far too blatant. Remember in 2022, when the Canadiens put Shea Weber on the long-term injured reserve list. Gary Bettman immediately made sure that the injury was legitimate.

Why is that the case for a Canadian team and not for an expansion team created by Bettman? It's truly pathetic and does nothing to quell rumors that Bettman does everything to keep the Stanley Cup in the United States.