Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said Friday the latest upper-body injury to captain Mark Stone is manageable and doesn’t expect Stone to miss much time.
Stone was placed on injured reserve Thursday as a result of an injury sustained Sunday in Pittsburgh.
Stone was lightly checked by Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, fell to one knee and skated slowly to the bench.
The 33-year-old missed his third straight game Friday against the Minnesota Wild and must sit out Sunday’s home game against the Edmonton Oilers before being eligible to return.
McCrimmon did not confirm when asked if it was in relation to Stone’s twice-surgically-repaired back, but still did not seem concerned.
“I think we’re really comfortable that it’s manageable,” McCrimmon said. “We’re not alarmed by the injury that he has.”
Coach Bruce Cassidy said Stone was getting treatment at City National Arena on Friday and seemed to be in good spirits.
It’s the best-case scenario for Stone, who was on pace for having a career season despite missing 16 games with a broken finger in October.
A chance for Karlsson? Howden, Hart updates
A return for William Karlsson is considered viable. McCrimmon said a lower-body injury will keep the center on long-term injured reserve, but not the season-ending kind that would rule him out until next season.
McCrimmon said it would take a lengthy playoff run for Karlsson to come back, but he is not ruling it out.
“He will be kept alive,” McCrimmon said.
Center Brett Howden skated for the first time Friday since suffering an undisclosed injury Jan. 10 against St. Louis. McCrimmon said Howden is set to return to the lineup Sunday.
Howden adds to the Knights’ center depth after the team acquired Nic Dowd from the Washington Capitals on Thursday, but Cassidy said he prefers the 27-year-old on the wing with a fully-healthy roster.
Howden had 15 points in 39 games before going down and had points in four of his last five games.
Goaltender Carter Hart remains week-to-week with a lower-body injury suffered Jan. 8 against Columbus. He was 5-3-3 in 12 appearances.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
