Mark Stone returns to Practice

[Toonage]

Originally Posted by Zary's-Mustache

I dont understand the conspiracy theories....this is like the 9/11 conspiracies...they make no sense.

He literally had a ruptured spleen. He didn't rupture it himself. He was injured, get over it.

Ruptured spleen?

Sounds like an inside job.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

that's very convenient thinking, and you don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to believe it's likely more something like this:

Knights: Hey Mark, you'll likely be ready to come back on Jan 1. But we were thinking:
Knights: How badly do you want to play the reg season, cause if you don't, we can extend that timeline until April 1. Get full cap relief all year, strengthen the team for another run at the cup and get you back ready to play for the games you really care about anyway? Thoughts.
Mark: Sounds good to me.

Or how even during the regular season, when one player is ready and needs to get into games, suddenly there is another who is ready for LTIR. It seems to happen frequently where a player is rumoured to be ready to come back, and everyone expects the team will have to make a trade or put someone on waivers to become cap compliant, only to put another player on LTIR.

It's pretty obvious that LTIR is being used as a way to manage a roster that will be above the cap when the playoffs start.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

What people crapped on you for was the fact that it was some master plan by Colorado and somehow it was the plan all along.

It was questionable if Landeskog would ever play again and he's missed 2 full regular seasons. If he can come back and contribute in the playoffs that's more impressive than it is frustrating.

For Stone I think last year with the back injury was more questionable and "planned" by the Knights.

This year with a lacerated spleen it was more of a "Happy Coincidence" that once it was clear his recovery timeline would align with the start of the playoffs the Knights made sure to take full advantage of that at the deadline.

So not really "planned" or "faked" by the Knights, but once the opportunity presented itself they were smart to take advantage of it.

Lol here we go again. You are the kind of guy that defends the dude that got caught counting cards at the blackjack table aren't you? You were abdamnent Landeskog would not be back for the playoffs, facts are he has been skating for months now and could have returned already. You were pissy in our previous engagement about this and now you are pissy because it is turning out exactly like I said it would.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Zary's-Mustache

I dont understand the conspiracy theories....this is like the 9/11 conspiracies...they make no sense.

He literally had a ruptured spleen. He didn't rupture it himself. He was injured, get over it.

Look at the timeline, he could have been back for these past few games. Nobody is arguing on his injury, it is the fact players are healthy enough to play before the end of the season but are not activated for cap reasons. Vegas is doing it, the Avs are doing it, there is probably other teams doing it as well.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

that's very convenient thinking, and you don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to believe it's likely more something like this:

Knights: Hey Mark, you'll likely be ready to come back on Jan 1. But we were thinking:
Knights: How badly do you want to play the reg season, cause if you don't, we can extend that timeline until April 1. Get full cap relief all year, strengthen the team for another run at the cup and get you back ready to play for the games you really care about anyway? Thoughts.
Mark: Sounds good to me.

I'm not the one with 'convenient' thinking here

[Zary's-Mustache]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Look at the timeline, he could have been back for these past few games. Nobody is arguing on his injury, it is the fact players are healthy enough to play before the end of the season but are not activated for cap reasons. Vegas is doing it, the Avs are doing it, there is probably other teams doing it as well.

Colorado has the cap space to play landeskog don't they?

Either way it's actually funny listening to these conspiracy theories like this was somehow planned.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Zary's-Mustache

Colorado has the cap space to play landeskog don't they?

Either way it's actually funny listening to these conspiracy theories like this was somehow planned.

No, they do not. They would be over about $5M if they activated Landeskog. Let's not mix up conspiracy theories with facts.

[keratosis]

Convinent.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Lol here we go again. You are the kind of guy that defends the dude that got caught counting cards at the blackjack table aren't you? You were abdamnent Landeskog would not be back for the playoffs, facts are he has been skating for months now and could have returned already. You were pissy in our previous engagement about this and now you are pissy because it is turning out exactly like I said it would.

I wasn't pissy then and am not pissy now.

I said at the time that even if he did return for the playoffs it wasn't some master plan. People said he would return for last years playoffs, how did that turn out?

They didn't hold Landeskog out for 2 years so they could activate him for the playoffs after not

He has been skating but he's still not even fully practicing with the team, and I don't think he's been cleared for contact. It's not even clear he will be back for game one of the playoffs. Not sure how that means he could have returned already.

https://x.com/kylefredrickson/status...476558795?s=46 This video is from today, seems like he's moving pretty gingerly still to me.

The listed recovery time for the cartilage replacement surgery he had is 12-18 months. He had the surgery May 10, 2023. So if he returns for the playoffs that would be impressive but sure the career threatening surgery with 12-18 months recovery time and missing 2 years of games was all done so they could circumvent the cap this season.

Lonzo Ball had the same surgery March 20 of 2023...still hasn't played. As far as I know No NHL or NBA player has ever had this surgery and returned to play.

[bluejays]

What I really hated about these obvious cap circumvention situations is Friedman denying time and time again that these teams are doing it. Guess now he can finally admit he's wrong instead of being a league mouthpiece. How many times do we have to see this stuff happening where a guy miraculously recovers right before the playoffs, to say this is a gap that needs to be addressed? Tampa and Vegas being the worst offenders.

[Ped]

Obviously it's a not master plan to get players injured and out for months and then have them magically appear in Game 1. And I don't think anyone is actually saying that. What they are saying is, it's highly unlikely all these players are magically healthy in time for Game 1 of the playoffs, conveniently when the salary cap no longer matters. That some of these players could probably return before Game 1, say Game 81 or 82 of the regular season, but teams hold them on LTIR because they don't have the cap room to reactivate them. Is it a master conspiracy? No. Do teams know what they're doing? I'm sure they do. When TB won the cup, if Kucherov had been ready to go Game 60, they probably would ahve had to have something to figure out. He's ready Game 79, well, sit out three more games. If you're not seeing the distinction its becasue you don't want to.



And it's such an easy fix. I suggested it before, and someone else suggested it in this thread; any players on LTIR have to be activated before Game 82 or else they can't play.

[BigThief]

His slap shot is really going to help our power play

[calumniate]

There's just way to much leeway here. It seems they can pay docs to say whatever they want / clear them from IR or have them on IR. Then again all players are somewhat banged up so the lines get pretty blurred there

[flamingred89]

I'd rather LTIR abuse than a team being so bad for decades that they eventually run into some talent. *Cough* Oilers *cough*

[Lanny_McDonald]

I'd like to see both loopholes closed.

[Paulie Walnuts]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1778863696942616663

[Zary's-Mustache]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

I'd like to see both loopholes closed.

Its not a loophole it's literally the rules.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Zary's-Mustache

Its not a loophole it's literally the rules.

That’s what a loophole is. Something rules allow but shouldn’t.

[Boreal]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

That’s what a loophole is. Something rules allow but shouldn’t.

Great. Now explain how?

The reality is that hockey is an extremely physically taxing sport & they play too many games. The fewer they play until it actually matters is an advantage. No medical professional will tell a million dollar athlete to play against the wishes of the organization. It makes them a lightning rod for insurance claims if anything happens.

Players like McDavid will chase stats in nothing games vs. nothing teams so he can actually win nothing.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Boreal

Great. Now explain how?

The reality is that hockey is an extremely physically taxing sport & they play too many games. The fewer they play until it actually matters is an advantage. No medical professional will tell a million dollar athlete to play against the wishes of the organization. It makes them a lightning rod for insurance claims if anything happens.

Players like McDavid will chase stats in nothing games vs. nothing teams so he can actually win nothing.

Cap rules for POs. More independent league oversight of return times.