'He's a special player': Golden Knights sign captain Mark Stone to 2-year extension

Danny Webster, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Sep 12, 2026

Published in Hockey

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LAS VEGAS — It was never a matter of if the Vegas Golden Knights were going to extend Mark Stone. Just when, and how much.

The Knights took care of an important piece of contract business before the start of training camp, signing their captain to a two-year extension on Saturday.

The contract carries a cap hit of $9 million and will keep Stone in Las Vegas through the 2028-29 season.

Stone, who is entering the final year of his eight-year, $76 million contract, is carrying a $9.5 million cap hit this season. He will take $500,000 less each of the next two seasons.

“I think it’s reflective of what we think of Mark, and how much Vegas means to Mark and his family,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said Saturday in a phone interview with the Review-Journal. “It’s a peace of mind for Mark so that it’s not hanging over him as the season starts. Same for the hockey club.”

McCrimmon and Stone talked over the summer prior to Stone’s agent Craig Oster getting involved in negotiations. A deal was agreed to late this week.

Stone was not available for comment.

Times are changing

Stone could have put himself in position to ask for more money. The NHL’s salary cap continues to rise, hitting $113.5 million next season — a $9.5 million increase from this year.

Star players like Colorado defenseman Cale Makar ($20.4 million AAV), San Jose center Macklin Celebrini ($18.8 million) and Anaheim center Leo Carlsson ($18 million) have taken advantage.

Even players like 37-year-old Patrick Kane ($8 million) and Philadelphia winger Trevor Zegras ($9.125 million) cashed in this summer.

“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 said. “We weren’t trying to have a deal that was completely team favorable. We wanted to be respectful of Mark.

“And at the same time, he wants to be able to be part of a team that continues to work to win.”

'He's a special player'

Stone signed his long-term deal shortly after the Knights traded for the winger in a deadline-day deal with the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 25, 2019.

It’s still considered the most lopsided trade that has benefited the Knights in their history.

Forward Oscar Lindberg hasn’t played in the NHL since 2020. The Knights selected Lindberg from the New York Rangers in the 2017 expansion draft.

Defenseman Erik Brannstrom, who the Knights took 15th overall in the 2017 NHL draft, appeared in 294 career NHL games with the Senators and Vancouver Canucks. He played last season with Lausanne HC in Switzerland.

Egor Sokolov was the player Ottawa selected with the 2020 second-round pick that the Knights added in the deal. He’s spent the last three years in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia.

In return, the Knights have reached the Stanley Cup Final twice with Stone. Named the franchise’s first captain on Jan. 13, 2021, Stone was the first Knights player to hoist the Stanley Cup in 2023.

Stone brought the Knights within two victories last season of a second title before losing in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Last season was arguably Stone’s best despite missing 22 games. He tied a career-high 73 points and was 11th among skaters at 1.22 points per game. He added 12 points in 17 playoff games to help the Knights win their second Western Conference championship in four years.

“He’s a special player and a special person,” McCrimmon said. “I’ve always described him as the straw that stirs the drink. He’s still playing at an incredibly high level.”

Continuing to make an impact

The 34-year-old has played 400 games with the Knights, totaling a franchise-record 396 points. The two-time Selke Trophy finalist is tops in the NHL in takeaways per game (1.00) since arriving in Las Vegas.

Health is the only thing that’s slowed Stone down. He’s missed 148 games over the past five years with a plethora of ailments that included two back injuries that required surgery, a lacerated spleen and a broken finger.

Stone also represented Canada in the Winter Olympics in Milan, winning a silver medal.

Stone has heard the talk about how he should shut it down and wind down his playing career. With this deal in tow, that’s not happening any time soon.

“I still feel good,” Stone said on June 16. “I’m going to keep playing. I want to play as long as I can. I know there’s been a lot of talk about me shutting it down, but I got no intentions of shutting it down. I plan on playing until I’m ready to call it. And I’m not ready to call it.”