< p >Mark Stone has signed a two-year contract extension with the Vegas Golden Knights carrying an average annual value of $9 million, locking up the captain through the 2028-29 season, according to reports from the Las Vegas Review-Journal and PenseBet. General manager Kelly McCrimmon finalized the agreement with Stone ahead of the team’s training camp, removing contract distractions as the organization prepares for the upcoming NHL campaign.< /p >
< h2 id="contract-terms-and-salary-cap-impact">Contract Terms and Salary Cap Impact< /h2 >
< p >According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Stone is entering the final year of an eight-year, $76 million contract carrying a $9.5 million cap hit for the current season. Under the new two-year extension negotiated directly between McCrimmon and Stone before agent Craig Oster joined talks, Stone will earn $500,000 less against the cap in each of the subsequent two seasons, stabilizing the Golden Knights’ financial planning as the league’s salary cap climbs to $113.5 million.< /p >
< p >“The way the landscape is changing, likely if he were to play out a year, he could have made the situation even better for himself financially, but I don’t think it’s what either of us wanted,” McCrimmon stated to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We weren’t trying to have a deal that was completely team favorable. We wanted to be respectful of Mark.”< /p >
< h2 id="production-and-franchise-history">Production and Franchise History< /h2 >
< p >Acquired by Vegas in a deadline-day trade with the Ottawa Senators on February 25, 2019, Stone was named the team’s first permanent captain on January 13, 2021. PenseBet notes that the veteran forward matched a career high with 73 points—comprising 28 goals and 45 assists—last season despite appearing in only 60 regular-season games due to injuries. Across 400 career games with the Golden Knights, Stone has accumulated a franchise-record 396 points.< /p >
< p >In the postseason, Stone has recorded 97 points in 97 career playoff games. He captained the Golden Knights to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2023, contributing 24 points during that playoff run, and helped push Vegas to within two victories of a second title last season before a six-game series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.< /p >
< h2 id="health-and-roster-outlook">Health and Roster Outlook< /h2 >
< p >While productivity per game remains among the league’s elite—ranking high in takeaways since arriving in Las Vegas—durability remains a variable. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Stone has missed 148 games over the past five seasons due to various ailments, including two back surgeries. Securing his leadership now provides stability for a Vegas squad looking to maintain its status among Western Conference contenders.< /p >
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