"If you can’t play game 82 you can’t play game 1": NHL fans react to speculation about Mark Stone's salary cap maneuvering

NHL fans are skeptical following the Vegas Golden Knights' maneuvering of Mark Stone's salary cap situation. Stone has a lacerated spleen, ruling him out for the rest of the regular season. The news has ignited a debate about the team's utilization of Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR).

During a recent NHL game discussion between analysts, Paul Bissonnette raised doubts about the circumstances surrounding Stone's injury and the timing of the team's roster adjustments.

Bissonnette's question prompted fans to voice their opinions on the matter.

"If all the teams started doing this it would be wild and the league would immediately put an end to it," one fan tweeted.

"Biz you are correct, change the rule. The cap needs to continue during the playoffs, if not why have a cap at all," another fan tweeted.

Amidst the speculation, there were also predictions of future scenarios and potential rule changes.

"They’ll change the rule this summer and then a star player on Toronto or LA will get hurt and he’ll whine that they can’t fill up their roster and bring them back in the playoffs," one fan tweeted.

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Vegas Golden Knights Mark Stone is out for NHL season with spleen injury

Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone will be out for the remainder of the regular NHL season due to a lacerated spleen.

General manager Kelly McCrimmon expressed uncertainty about the timeline for Stone's return. ,

"....It's impossible to know what the timeline is," McCrimmon said, via NHL.com.

Stone sustained the injury on February 20, Tuesday, during a game against the Nashville Predators and had been listed as week-to-week. The challenge lies in the injury, as the spleen is an internal organ that requires healing.

Stone, the team's second-leading scorer with 53 points in 56 games, had previously missed the final 39 games of the last season with a back injury. However, he returned for the Stanley Cup playoffs, contributing significantly to the team's championship win.

McCrimmon also provided updates on other injured players. Forward Brett Howden is nearing a return from an upper-body injury, while William Carrier is close but dealing with an illness. Defenseman Alec Martinez is out "short term" after a lower-body procedure.

Despite the setback, the Golden Knights made several trades in a busy week to improve their performance and secure a playoff spot.

"We wanted to help our team. Our recent play hasn't been good enough. We know that we'll fix that," McCrimmon said.

The team holds the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.