Knights captain gets through training camp with healthy back

The signs are there for Mark Stone.

He wound up and ripped a laser of a slap shot past goaltender Jiri Patera on the third day of Golden Knights training camp, drawing huge cheers from the crowd at City National Arena. He tumbled over left wing Pavel Dorofeyev at Monday’s practice with a smile, giving the roster hopeful a few playful shoves while they were laying on the ice.

He even absorbed a huge hit from Los Angeles Kings right wing Hayden Hodgson in his preseason debut Sept. 27 and got up ready to drop the gloves.

All three moments show a player who isn’t acting concerned or cautious when it comes to his body heading into the season. It’s a welcome change for Stone, who has played 80 of a possible 162 regular-season games for the Knights the past two seasons because of back issues.

His second surgery to fix the problem — which took place Jan. 31 — got him in the lineup for the team’s entire Stanley Cup run. The hope is the Knights captain stays there most of this season.

“I’m hoping I’m good for the rest of my career,” Stone said. “You never know, right? Anybody can get hurt. … Personally, I feel fine.”

This summer was different for Stone for several reasons.

He was celebrating a championship. He had a new addition to his family after his daughter, Scarlett, was born in March.

Stone was also, for the first time in three years, able to have a more normal offseason routine.

“That was the most I’ve trained in quite some time other than rehab, unfortunately,” Stone said. “This summer it was actually nice to get in the gym and do some stuff.”

The 31-year-old first had his back checked after the Knights’ loss to Montreal in the 2021 Stanley Cup semifinals. He didn’t have a procedure then but called it “more or less a rehab summer for me.”

The following offseason was spent recovering from his first back operation, which occurred in May 2022. Stone was set for the start of camp but didn’t take contact at first. He wasn’t a full participant until five days in.

This time around, he had no restrictions from the start. He did fracture his wrist in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final — while recording the fourth hat trick ever in a championship clincher — but said it was OK at the start of camp.

Coach Bruce Cassidy has managed Stone in the preseason by playing him in only one of the first five games. The final two Thursday and Saturday are expected to feature most of the regulars to get them ready for the regular season.

“We’re not going to overtax him, that’s for sure,” Cassidy said. “But if he’s healthy, he needs to play to get his timing.”

One question when Stone does appear is how opponents will treat him.

They were merciless in the playoffs, often giving him a bump or cross-check. His one preseason appearance featured Hodgson taking a run at him.

But his back has held up through all of it. And his teammates have been quick to jump to his defense. Hodgson had just finished his check when left wing Brett Howden and defenseman Alec Martinez went after him, starting what turned into a massive scrum.

“Obviously, we’re going to have an answer for that,” defenseman Ben Hutton said.

Stone isn’t stressed about it.

He played through all the rough stuff during the postseason and had 24 points in 22 games, the third-most on the team, despite taking a three-month break between games.

He still feels strong less than a week before the opener. If that continues to be the case, the Knights can feel even better about their chances of repeating.

“A lot of people say we can’t do that again,” Stone said. “We have to use that as fuel to try and get back to where we want to be. We’ve got a long 82-game season to get back to be one of the 16 teams that can compete for it. That’s the first goal.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on X.