Golden Knights Mark Stone on track to return for game one of playoffs

The Vegas Golden Knights have clearly perfected the abuse of the Long-Term Injury Reserve on the salary cap. Mark Stone returned to Vegas' practice today, on track for a return near game 1 of the playoffs.

Mark Stone has been out of the Vegas lineup since February 20th with a lacerated spleen. In the last three seasons, Stone has been placed on LTIR near the trade deadline, which has allowed Vegas to make expensive additions to their roster. With Stone being held out until game one of the playoffs, the salary cap doesn't apply, and Vegas can operate consistently above the salary cap.





It's an absurdly bad look on the league to have such a clear and consistent loophole to their salary cap structure. Even if Stone's injuries are legitimate, and he miraculously recovers in time for game 1 of the playoffs, there should be some accountability for being so much over the salary cap. When Stone returns in the playoffs, the Golden Knights will likely ice a roster close to $9M over the salary cap.

According to reports from several NHL insiders, General Managers across the league are speaking to each other to gather ideas on fixing what's become an exploited loophole in the salary cap. Oilers GM Ken Holland has actually been the one spearheading the discussions on fixing the LTIR playoff issue in an executive committee of veteran NHL managers.

Regardless, the return of Stone makes the Golden Knights a formidable team once again heading into the playoffs. With more high profile additions of Noah Hanifin, Anthony Mantha, and Tomas Hertl, Vegas is clearly set on defending their Stanley Cup victory from last year.