Vegas Golden Knights acquire Mark Stone from the Ottawa Senators
For the second straight year, the Vegas Golden Knights and Ottawa Senators got deep in trade discussions at the NHL trade deadline. This year, the Knights got their guy in MarkStone.
Last season, the Vegas Golden Knights and Ottawa Senators nearly pulled off a blockbuster deal at the trade deadline. Erik Karlsson was nearly sent to the Knights, but talks died off at the last minute. Vegas general manager George McPhee got his guy this year, as he’s traded for Mark Stone.
Though the Senators didn’t get a first-rounder, that’s still quite the haul for Stone and Tobias Lindberg (a minor league forward). They got Erik Bannstrom, Oscar Lindberg, and a 2020 second-round pick.
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Stone gives the Golden Knights what they need to compete with the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks. Perhaps even the Nashville Predators and the Winnipeg Jets.
Stone is an elite forward who produces at over a point per game rate and plays an impressive 200-foot game. He should join their first or second line and immediately turn it into one of the league’s best lines.
This should shift the balance of power in the Western Conference. Stone makes the Knights legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, much like they were last year.
Vegas hasn’t been able to channel the magic they performed when they made it to the Stanley Cup Final as an expansion team, but getting Stone should help them overcome that.
The Flames and Sharks have been put on notice. Now, getting that top spot in the Pacific Division is suddenly much more important. It would potentially prevent them from facing the Golden Knights until the second round. Quite the message sent from Vegas to the rest of the league.
Meanwhile, the Senators get another huge haul, their third in less than three full days. This should be a huge boost to their rebuild. They’ve acquired potentially two first-round picks and three second-round picks. Not a terrible deadline at all for a team that needed to nail it.