“The first couple weeks were real tough,” Stone said. “You can’t really do anything physical. You’re kind of just sitting around waiting for it to heal. Then it gets even harder, because you actually start to feel better relatively quickly, but you look at the scans, and you’re nowhere close to healthy.”
It was different than last season, when Stone missed the last 39 regular-season games to recover from back surgery and returned for the opener of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He had 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 22 games, third on the Golden Knights. Vegas won the Cup.
“I think last year I had more of a distinct timeline,” Stone said. “This year, I wasn’t super confident that I’d be standing here today ready to go. The timeline was a lot more -- not delicate, but I guess, longer. I had some people tell me it was eight weeks, some people tell me it was six months. It was just a wait-and-see, see how the scans go.
“Obviously fortunate to be able to get those scans as frequently as I can. I think last week, last scan I did, I felt like I was moving in the right direction, getting close to playing, and the last scan kind of confirmed it, and now I’m ready to go.”
Cassidy said Stone’s minutes would not be limited in Game 1.
“I was told he’s cleared and ready to go,” Cassidy said. “We will obviously monitor it, because he’s missed some time. But listen, he plays on the power play, kills penalties. We’re not going to put a governor on him per se.
“The eye test will us where his conditioning level’s at. … He can control [his shift length]. But there are no restrictions going in. Could we put some on midgame? Again, that’ll be something we decide as we go.”
Stone struggled in his first playoff game last season, a 5-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. He might need to get up to speed again.
“Ultimately I haven’t played in quite some time,” Stone said. “I’m probably not going to be … I’d be pretty happy if I was at my best tonight, but we’ll see how I feel. I’ll have to play a smart game.”
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2024-04-22 19:18:33Z
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