Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone has seen the prognostications that his club will regress this season, but he doesn't buy it.
The Golden Knights lost several key players in free agency - most notably Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson, and Alec Martinez - and didn't have adequate cap space to make any significant additions. Despite the roster turnover, Stone is confident as ever that Vegas can compete for another Stanley Cup.
"As I'm older, I have realized that people are going to put a bull's-eye on our back because they want to see us fail," Stone told team reporter Gary Lawless.
"We haven't failed too much in our history. People want to see the Golden Knights crash and burn. But ... I think the foundation we built doesn't really allow for that to happen. So, I'm feeling confident. I think the team is excited to get back. We definitely have that chip on our shoulder. A lot of people in our industry don't believe that we can get back to the team that we know we are, but time will tell. We still believe that we're one of the teams that is going to training camp with the chance to win the Stanley Cup."
Vegas has drawn the ire of many fan bases for its instant success as an expansion franchise as well as its use of long-term injured reserve. Stone's attracted scrutiny in each of the past two years by missing significant time in the regular season before returning in Game 1 of the playoffs - when the salary cap doesn't apply.
After spending lavishly to acquire Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl at last season's trade deadline with Stone on the shelf, Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon said it's "ridiculous to suggest" the Golden Knights were faking or exaggerating injuries.
The Golden Knights have made the postseason in all but one of seven years of their existence. They reached the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural campaign and won their first title in 2023.
