Mark Stone boarded a plane for Las Vegas on Aug. 30 and felt something he hadn’t experienced in quite awhile.
A sense of relief.
The Golden Knights right wing spent the past two years unsettled in Ottawa, unsure of what his future held with the rebuilding franchise.
But after landing with the Knights at the trade deadline in February and signing an eight-year contract extension, Stone finally has the long-term security he craved.
“I think at the end of last year I was pretty mentally and emotionally drained. Kind of just sat back for two weeks. I couldn’t really believe everything that had gone on,” Stone said. “It was a long — not just year — it was a long two years for me trying to decide where my path was going to go.
“I’m excited. I’m fired up to be here. I think I made a great decision. For the next eight seasons I don’t have to worry about dealing with a contract. I just have to worry about producing on the ice and being a good ambassador for this community.”
Stone was part of the Senators’ run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017, but couldn’t come to terms with Ottawa on a long-term extension that summer despite three straight 20-goal seasons.
The following season, Stone posted 20 goals and a career-high 42 assists in 58 games and became a restricted free agent in the summer of 2018.
He filed for arbitration and requested a $9 million salary, which would have been a record had it been awarded, while the team countered with a $5 million offer.
The sides avoided a hearing and settled on a one-year, $7.35 million deal that made Stone the team’s highest-paid player. But with the struggling Senators looking to shed salary, it was clear Stone wasn’t in the team’s long-range plans.
The Knights acquired the 27-year-old Stone on Feb. 25 for former first-round pick Erik Brannstrom, forward Oscar Lindberg and a 2020 second-round draft pick. He signed an eight-year, $76 million extension that became official March 8.
“I loved playing in Ottawa,” Stone said. “I have a lot of close friends there. My girlfriend’s from there. Her family’s from there. We had a lot of friends there. Just to pack up and move was not easy.
“But pretty nice to fly back and realize this is going to be my home and this is the organization I’m going to play for for the next eight seasons.”
Stone had career highs in goals (33) and points (73) in 77 games combined with the Knights and Senators last season. He was the Knights’ leading scorer with six goals and 12 points in a seven-game first-round playoff loss to San Jose and finished second in the voting for the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward.
“I guess you could say that he took a little of the pressure off,” center William Karlsson said. “I think the whole team played pretty well, and I think he gave us another dimension, a good offensive player, too. I guess it makes us just more dangerous up front with him coming in.”
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Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.